Self-serve beverage stations had been widespread at McDonald’s restaurants, allowing customers to refill their drinks with ease.
WASHINGTON — Some McDonald’s customers are noticing changes to how they get drinks at the fast food chain as several restaurant locations have removed drink stations and put up no-refill signs.
The changes are part of McDonald’s larger effort to phase out self-service drink stations by 2032. McDonald’s announced the decision in 2023, citing at the time that the move is intended to provide a consistent experience for customers and workers across the chain.
At the time, several locations in Illinois had already been stripped of the drink stations.
The phaseout sparked attention once more after an April 27 post on the online forum Reddit showed the removal of the drink station. Self-serve beverage stations had been widespread at McDonald’s restaurants, allowing customers to refill their drinks with ease. Soon, customers will have to ask employees for refills.
“I was in one of these on a road trip. I’ve stopped at this McDonald’s many times before, so I was shocked at how very stark and empty it was, with kiosks to order from and employees just popping out from the back to drop orders and leave customers to grab their own stuff. Weird vibe,” one Reddit user said.
In another post on the McDonald’s Reddit forum on April 28, a user shared a “No Refills” sign on the soda machines.
As McDonald’s continues to phase out its self-service drink station, it is expanding its beverage menu to include fruity flavors and “dirty sodas.”
The company is betting big on drinks, hoping this new lineup will be “the reason” people come to McDonald’s.
The new offerings include caffeinated lemonades in flavors: Strawberry Watermelon, Mango Pineapple and Blackberry Passion Fruit, and soda-based drinks like Sprite Berry Blast, Orange Dream and a “Dirty” Dr Pepper with vanilla flavoring and cold foam.
“Our fans have an obsession with beverages – to them, drinks are more than just drinks,” Alyssa Buetikofer, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, said in a statement. “We’ve taken the time to get this right.”