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I don't think I've ever seen a self-service soda fountain in a McDonalds in the UK, or anywhere else in Europe for that matter. That's a Burger King thing!
Most likely, this is yet another move to extract more money or to deter loitering.
Disclaimer: I haven't set foot in a McDonald's in 5 years.
Doing our part for a healthier world! -Ronald
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A lot of McDonalds around me are already like that. There is no ability to place an order at the counter. They still have a register and menu but all in-store ordering is via the kiosk. The one I visit the most already removed the self-service fountain drink station and you need to ask them for refills.
Their kiosks area pain and confusing to use, and I consider myself a savvy UI type person.
The writing between the lines is that McDonald's is preparing to do away with human order-takers altogether, replacing that role with a food runner that can occasionally take an order but mostly just takes food to people's seats. The ordering will move to digital kiosks and online. And when you do all of that, having the fountain machine on the customer side makes almost no sense.
I'm not sure how that change would result in self-service soda fountains making any less sense. Surely it would still be cheaper to let the dine-in customer fill their own cup regardless of whether humans take orders. Unless of course McDonald's got rid of dine-in altogether.
The new process is: Order via kiosk/app --> Sit down and relax --> Food delivered to your table --> Now stand up again and get your own drink
The last step is kind of awkward and inefficient. So, it kind of makes sense for them to bring your drink with everything else.
The faster you can move customers out of the restaurant the more money you make during the busy hours, so efficiency matters.
Source: I worked with McDonalds 20 years ago as a vendor. They're pretty obsessed with efficiency. They even hire "actors" to simulate customers to test out new technologies, food items, and procedures in their test kitchens so that they can objectively measure the impact of various tweaks.
Funny how self serve soda machines have really taken off in the last 5 years or so in most of the newer franchise operations. I can't help but think they (McDs) are struggling to hire people to keep those stations orderly and frankly the last few times I went into a mcds those stations are all disgusting and disordered. I would add that all the mcds I've been in recently are actively hostile to the dine in experience…
The dirtiness of fast-food restaurants is something that shocks me every time I go to the US. Things like sticky, rubbish-strewn floors even behind the counter that, as a food-preparation area, especially ought to be kept clean. The staff themselves are often slovenly and morbidly obese. McDonalds on other continents are noticeably cleaner, and considering that McDonalds has standardized the entire process and techno…
The other one is in an upper middle class suburb. Very clean with friendly employees and the food is perfect.... well, "perfect" by McDonalds standards.
I try not to eat at McDonalds more than maybe 5-6 times a year. So I'm not an expert. But I have noticed that McDonalds in "nice" areas tend to be "nice."
I wonder what the primary reasoning is. They mention health concerns, theft, and delivery orders but all three seem like fairly weak reasons to justify the increase in labor and the cost of a new cup each time. Also, I don't think I've been in a McDonald's since they've started offering self serve soda. For some reason, when I stopped being interested in the playroom, I completely stopped going inside, even though I…
Ever work at a busy diner? One of the little tricks of the trade is to make sure the coffee's not too hot. You want the customers to suck it down immediately, not sit around an extra 3 minutes waiting for it to cool.
It's probably more efficient and streamlined to give customers a drink rather than having them mill about at the fountain, and it's definitely more efficient to clear out loiterers who are hanging around and sipping free do-it-yourself refills.
This article made me grieve the loss of my precious chicken selects. Damn those were good. And my angus third-pounder with red onions.
https://www.tiktok.com/@chefmikeharacz/video/726618587648763... has a guy talking about how McDonalds choose the latest chicken sandwich. It doesn't bode well that they just ignore data in their decisions.
If only they can fix their milkshake dispensing machines.
It works fabulously. If a McDonalds has a "broken" milkshake machine it most likely means the workers did not maintain it in a hygienic manner. Stop eating food from that store. Requiring these machines in the stores is a hidden gift from McDonalds corporate to your intestinal tract.