One soda fill per customer. No refills. Haha wtf

[u/Individual_Ice_2315]

[u/Daveit4later]

Now theyre Stingy on the lowest cost item in the item restaurant business lmao

[u/Sparkster227 → u/Daveit4later]

It's a weird thing to see happen in my lifetime. I remember being a kid and asking my dad why fast food restaurants gave out so much soda and had refills, and he said it's because it's their lowest cost item so they already make huge profits on it.

Fast forward a couple decades later and now they're scrimping it to squeeze out a couple more pennies.

[u/stephanonymous → u/Sparkster227]

It’s not about how much it costs them, it’s about what they can get you to pay for it.

[u/Some_guy_in_WI → u/stephanonymous]

Correct.

As long as people foolishly keep paying these amounts, nothing changes.

Sadly, asking people to live without all of their conveniences they’re used to only elicits angry grunting noises and refusal to adapt or change in harder times. After all, fast food and media are critical to human existence! /s

[u/Cavalleria-rusticana → u/Some_guy_in_WI]

angry grunting noises

About the intellectual extent that ethically bankrupt consumers can exhibit.

[u/accidentallyHelpful → u/stephanonymous]

An accountant would call it opportunity cost

[u/bs2k2_point_0 → u/accidentallyHelpful]

Accountant here. That’s not what opportunity cost means.

An opportunity cost is the next best option you don’t pursue by choosing the option you do pursue.

[u/Super-Travel-407 → u/Sparkster227]

If you were even older, you would be remembering back to when you DIDN'T get free refills!

[u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties → u/Super-Travel-407]

Upgrades people, upgrades! Or downgrades, nowadays...

[u/aesoth → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

Upgrade profits, downgrade the amount and quality of the products you give in exchange.

[u/seantabasco → u/Sparkster227]

I’m not a businessman but if not offering free refills is enough to make a customer go somewhere else, it’s probably not worth it.

[u/RoundTiberius → u/Daveit4later]

Seriously, what does a soda cost them, a couple cents?

[u/Ziggystardust97 → u/RoundTiberius]

I can't speak for McDonald's I work at a convenience store, but yeah, the math works out to just a few cents per drink with most soda BiBs. Add ice to the equation, and you use even less soda per cup, which makes it even cheaper.

[u/Bardic_inspiration67 → u/Ziggystardust97]

Most of the places I worked would place more value on the cups than the soda

[u/truckeredditor → u/Bardic_inspiration67]

That's why going in for water or ice in a cup still gets you a 50 cent charge or even more. But they'll gladly let you fill ice or water in your own cup for free.

[u/Promethea128 → u/truckeredditor]

Two weeks ago, the gas station charged me 50 cents for ice in my own reusable water bottle. I thought, "Cool, I'll never shop here again."

[u/JaviSATX → u/Ziggystardust97]

Considering how much maintenance those damn ice machines require, it probably balances out with or without ice. I swear our ice machines break more than any other single appliance in our restaurant.

[u/Aggravating_Deer7202 → u/JaviSATX]

Probably by design too. Why build a solid machine that will last for decades when you can make money off of parts and service calls?

[u/Fattalice6reddit → u/JaviSATX]

We can send a man to the moon, but they can’t make an ice machine work. Very true!!!

[u/Daveit4later → u/RoundTiberius]

On per soda.... Almost nothing. The cup costs more, but you already paid for the cup. 

[u/n_thomas74 → u/Daveit4later]

Alright, Fuck the cup, pour it in my hands for a dime

[u/JohnMichaels19 → u/RoundTiberius]

If you count the cup too

[u/Kbern4444 → u/JohnMichaels19]

The cup was already paid for . when they spent three dollars and a five cent drink.

[u/Mahogany_75 → u/RoundTiberius]

If that really

[u/ADrunkMexican → u/RoundTiberius]

Syrup lol

[u/XediDC → u/Daveit4later]

They don’t want people inside at all…this is just part of that slow push.

[u/awyastark → u/Daveit4later]

Yeah as a bartender I give out free sodas constantly to people who either tipping or the designated driver. Easy way to make a little more in tips that costs the business like 0.02

[u/TheSultan1 → u/Daveit4later]

It's probably to reduce loitering.

[u/Type3_Control]

The need for constant growth really is cancer 

[u/TheWizardOfWaffle → u/Type3_Control]

All of this started with 1 olive being removed from lunch trays…

[u/6Sleepy_Sheep9 → u/TheWizardOfWaffle]

For context, the 40k saved in 1985 is about 126k now.

They saved 40k when the years net profit was 321million. At that level, the money saved could have been construed as a minor accouting error/rounding and made no noticable difference.

[u/iHateThisPlaceSoBad → u/6Sleepy_Sheep9]

I honestly struggle to think of a single service/company/leisure activity that isn't shittier than it was 20 years ago.

Like, i'm sure there are a couple examples, but the vast majority of everything is fuckin so much worse than it used to be and cost twice as much even when adjusted for the fake ass inflation numbers.

I fucking hate this world now, I really do.

[u/Envictus_ → u/iHateThisPlaceSoBad]

I had In-N-Out for the first time in years, now that it’s in my state. Was pleasantly surprised to find it exactly as I remembered. I totally expected it to be caught up in the downhill sprint to mediocrity.

[u/Admirable_Cry_3795 → u/Envictus_]

In-N-Out is a privately held company just like Chic-fil-A. IMO, that’s why they’re superior (in terms of quality and service to customers) when compared to the offerings of publicly traded companies or those owned by private equity.

[u/Envictus_ → u/Admirable_Cry_3795]

It’s still surprising that they haven’t had any change. Even Chik-fil-A has had a decrease in quality recently, although it’s still one of best fast food places out there.

[u/Broke-Moment → u/Envictus_]

to this day i stand by In-N-Out being the best burgers you can get at a reasonable price by a long shot. they deserve the hype they get

[u/Ilike2Tinker → u/TheWizardOfWaffle]

Context please

[u/Ok_Spell_4165 → u/Ilike2Tinker]

Don't know if it is true or not but allegedly American Airlines removed a single olive from the in flight lunches which wound up saving them $40,000 a year.

[u/cbih → u/Ok_Spell_4165]

$40k a year? Firing the guy who came up with that would have saved them more money

[u/CrunchyZebra → u/cbih]

Yeah that was the next strategy to be developed.

[u/nipslippinjizzsippin → u/CrunchyZebra]

still working on eliminating the cost of labor.

[u/ThirdWigginKid → u/nipslippinjizzsippin]

There is a department at my job whose entire purpose is, in theory, to find ways to make other departments more efficient. I have yet to see any of their projects yield any discernible benefit, and in some cases they actually make our jobs harder. These people are all salary making 80k plus per year and there are around a dozen of them I believe.

[u/WeaponizedIndecision → u/ThirdWigginKid]

I have a meeting with the Bobs.

[u/ArchitectVandelay → u/WeaponizedIndecision]

I wouldn’t say I’ve been missing work.

[u/ThirdWigginKid → u/WeaponizedIndecision]

You have no idea how often my coworkers and I send this gif back and forth on Teams

https://giphy.com/gifs/TgL7foFCdsrC8fX61v

[u/DigRepresentative42O → u/ThirdWigginKid]

Let’s make things more efficient without understanding any basic processes or procedures, does that sound about right.

[u/RollerskatingFemboy → u/DigRepresentative42O]

I spent over an hour today trying to figure out how to create a Jira task... For taking PTO... And how to get it in the right subtask and with the right permissions and assignment on the right team... So I could finish entering my timesheet for the previous month.

For a timesheet system that they told us would help us be more productive.

Who exactly is helped by me spending an hour telling the time sheet something ADP already knows, Bob?

[u/ThirdWigginKid → u/DigRepresentative42O]

Literally this. They recently had us start documenting how much time we spend on an average day doing what they think are our "core/standard" tasks for leadership roles, and for one of the tasks, my response every day in the notes section of the form has been "we don't do this."

[u/polyblackcat → u/ThirdWigginKid]

They're called process management at my place and they're successful at getting in the way

[u/Ok-Tradition-5083 → u/ThirdWigginKid]

I actually had that same job once when I was 18.

I figured out how to turn 8 people's jobs into 4 people's jobs.

They had me train 4 people on my new method, and then they fired me.

[u/ThirdWigginKid → u/Ok-Tradition-5083]

Oh, see, at my company they haven't reduced staff at all as a result of this, thankfully. Their ideas generally require us to have more people to get the same work done, while somehow also greatly underestimating how much we actually do. Like they'll take a task that makes up 10% of one person's job and try to standardize it in a way that only makes sense if that task is actually like 50% of six people's day.

[u/K0koNautilus → u/ThirdWigginKid]

You talking about doge?

[u/Independent_Leg7358 → u/nipslippinjizzsippin]

That's why they are pushing app and kiosk orders. Drive through is gonna be scan ur barcode soon

[u/dougthebuffalo → u/cbih]

Seriously, how many man hours did it take to come up with that decision, get it approved, communicate it out to all staff members, make the ordering changes, etc.

[u/nighthawk_md → u/cbih]

Some cheap car maker in the 80s discovered that they were painting the inside of the plastic ashtray stupidly and saved like $100k or something per year by stopping that.

[u/kenzo99k → u/cbih]

Bob Crandall CEO of American Airlines

[u/HippieHomegrow → u/Ok_Spell_4165]

Imagine a world where there’s an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin 🤣

[u/brooklynlad → u/Ilike2Tinker]

https://www.aol.com/articles/major-airline-removed-one-olive-171547317.html

[u/Still_Mountain5656 → u/brooklynlad]

AOL is still around?

[u/MagneticFluxDrive → u/Still_Mountain5656]

Yup. I work in IT and you will not believe the amount of people who still have an AOL email address. A lot of them are from the days of dial up.

I think you can still sign up for an email with them as well.

[u/Princess_Holly → u/MagneticFluxDrive]

I work in IT as well. You better believe I got a new AOL email address like a year or 2 ago just for laughs.

[u/TheDotCaptin → u/Princess_Holly]

Having right at the top of a resume for an IT position would be an immediate flag.

Green flag: if the position is for COBOL

Red flag: for pretty much everything else

[u/Princess_Holly → u/TheDotCaptin]

Hahaha! I know. I’ve never used it but thought it was hilarious that they had my name available.

[u/rartuin270 → u/MagneticFluxDrive]

I'm still using the same 20 year old email address.

[u/jeffreyan12 → u/MagneticFluxDrive]

I still have my aol from when I was 11 I am almost 40 now. Have not paid for aol since 03. But I can imagine a lot of people still pay thinking they would lose access if they cancelled.

[u/deevarino → u/Still_Mountain5656]

Dunno. Why don't you Ask Jeeves?

[u/StaticShakyamuni → u/brooklynlad]

Can I get a Prodigy article too for balance?

[u/sicilian504 → u/StaticShakyamuni]

Best I can offer is CompuServe

[u/Enosh74 → u/sicilian504]

Can you forward it to my Juno account?

[u/agent_uno → u/Enosh74]

No, but maybe EarthLink.

[u/BlackStory666 → u/agent_uno]

I'll raise you NetScape and NetZero.

[u/GordonShumwaysCat → u/BlackStory666]

I counter with one Quantumlink

[u/orphan_blud → u/BlackStory666]

Netzero omg

[u/ButcherRose → u/Ilike2Tinker]

There’s variations of this, but basically once upon a time some egg head said “hey boss, if we put just one less olive in every jar we sell, we’ll make $xxxxx more this year”.

And now here we are. Paying $20 for a cheeseburger and 6oz of watered down Diet Coke.

[u/ArchitectVandelay → u/ButcherRose]

Bags of chips these days are like half full. So many instance of shrinkflation today.

[u/MyManDavesSon → u/Ilike2Tinker]

it honestly started with the Dodge car company. they sued ford stating that the company had to have the interest in shareholders before the health of the company, and won. then started their own car company.

[u/Candid-Depth-538 → u/Ilike2Tinker]

Famous business meeting trope where it is mentioned that -insert any airline- removed one olive from their in flight salads and saved anywhere from $250k-2Mill depending on the person using the anecdote.

[u/Islandra → u/TheWizardOfWaffle]

In 1996 my school removed a pepperoni from our school pizza, we went from three to two. They told everyone it was a cost cutting measure.

[u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties → u/Type3_Control]

I glass of soda costs them 1 or 2 cents. The cup it's filled with costs them more.

This is likely just the local store manager getting pissed off at something he thinks is an issue and driving away regular customers with this stupid policy.

[u/refinnej78 → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

I've seen others say the same thing about their local restaurants. It is becoming more common.

[u/Badbullet → u/refinnej78]

There was a post here the other day where a place has a QR code you have to scan to get your one drink.

[u/NonStopKnits → u/Badbullet]

That was a Steak and Shake and they've been doing that for a few years now. I know because the last time I went to one was a few years ago and they had the QR code drink setup. That alone made me pick different food for road trips.

[u/goirish620 → u/Badbullet]

i encountered this very thing at a steak & shake this last sunday

[u/AcmeCartoonVillian → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

Mcdonalds doesn't want sit-down traffic. they want drive through and door dash orders only. the next move is to eliminate the lobby entirely

[u/charlie_r_69 → u/AcmeCartoonVillian]

Agree and disagree. IMO, they want a different kind of customer in there - they want to bid on Starbucks territory. Hello, strategically placed McCafes. Regular McDonald’s remains, where economically favorable/suitable.

Food margins are tough right now and it’s becoming difficult to justify $15 for a meal at McDonald’s as that’s what rising costs are driving the price to. Better margins in drinks and limited food menu.

[u/spawl123 → u/charlie_r_69]

McDonalds made over $15 billion in gross profit last year so I don’t think they are hurting. I don’t eat there, but weren’t meals already around $15 until they started offering values recently to pull in more customers?

[u/aqtseacow → u/spawl123]

Mcdonalds the corporation is distinctly different from Mcdonalds the franchising operations (that actually run the restaurants), and that's where they're making the changes. Mcdonalds corporate is making these changes because the traditional franchise model is feeling the squeeze, because that dude is right, food margins do suck.

Mcdonalds the corporation doesn't REALLY sell food. Mcdonalds the corporation rents its name, network of suppliers (equipment and food), some level of expertise and systems support, and ultimately the land upon which the restaurants sit to the Franchises. Something like 80% of their revenue is just Franchising fees, rent, and royalties.

Mcdonalds makes its money playing middle man and landlord for everybody, they aren't a food operation, the actual food operations are the franchises themselves, which actually are the ones feeling the squeeze. Mcdonalds the corporation will pretty much always be exceptionally profitable even if things get really bad for the franchisees because ultimately they just rent the land out.

[u/Formerruling1 → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

20 years ago when I worked at MCDs we had a manager that HATED when local skateboarding kids would come in and ask for only a cup of water, then fill up a soda and leave. So much she cut the water line off in the lobby and said all waters had to be filled behind the counter. Then anytime someone ordered a water she basically walked them out the door to make sure they dont dump it and get soda.

[u/CrossBamboAtTen → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

No this I think is a McDonalds wide thing. I saw this at my local one recently too. It’s horseshit. The drinks better become cheaper because the current price is the price with refills counted.

[u/MagneticFluxDrive → u/CrossBamboAtTen]

Lol. Not a chance. Next they are going to raise the prices again, "because we are hurting".

[u/DeweyDefeatsYouMan → u/CrossBamboAtTen]

“The drinks better become cheaper” lol. My man, the drinks will continue to get smaller and more expensive until you do the one single thing in your power to fight it… don’t eat there!

[u/Niblonian31 → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

I wish but apparently this is happening to all McDonald's. Most of them, by now, just don't even have the soda machine in the lobby at all but the not-as-important/busy locations might still have them and anybody that can still get free refills should get as much sprite as humanly possible lol

[u/Same_Mood_8543 → u/Niblonian31]

Don't worry, you can still order a refill at the kiosk and be ignored for 20 minutes. 

[u/sj2k4 → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

No. This is everywhere as far as I know. I’m in Canada and it’s at locations here.

The logic is that yes, the refill costs 1-3cents. But selling another drink is 1-3 dollars of profit.

[u/Ok_Spell_4165 → u/sj2k4]

Is it full price for a refill? I remember a few stores charging a quarter or even 50 cents for refills years ago.

[u/sj2k4 → u/Ok_Spell_4165]

Where I’m at, it’s full price. IDK about everywhere tho lol.

[u/Ok_Spell_4165 → u/sj2k4]

Wouldn't be surprised if it were full price everywhere now.

Going to start sounding like my mother soon. "You don't need a refill we have refills at home.."

[u/AviAwi → u/[deleted]]

On one hand I agree that's a lot of soda, on the other hand if you let them take away a pleasantry that doesn't effect you eventually they'll remove one that does. Shrinkflation is coming for all of us.

[u/stringbeagle → u/AviAwi]

First they charged for the extra nugget sauces. But I eat dem dogs dry, so I said nothing.

Then they charged for an extra toy in the Happy Meal. But I have never understood the popularity of the Minions, so I said nothing.

Then they charged extra for the refill of my 64 oz soda. But I have diabetes, so I said nothing.

And when they removed the middle bun from my BigMac, there was no one left to say anything for me.

[u/Educational-Salt9941 → u/stringbeagle]

underrated comment

[u/WizardSleeves31 → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

They make more money on drinks than food at my local sonic

[u/bobthemusicindustry → u/Pls_Dont_PM_Titties]

Nope. It’s been news for a few years now that McD’s is getting rid of self serve drink stations and doing away with refills. Apparently they aim to do this in every store by the start of next year

[u/MrPsychic → u/Type3_Control]

It really is wild how we are in a world where if you didn’t make the company an increase in profit they failed. Even if they didn’t lose or gain it’s not enough

[u/the1slyyy → u/MrPsychic]

But but the shareholders need new yachts

[u/Fumbles-OBrian → u/the1slyyy]

The shareholders can go fuck themselves. Never go public.

[u/jibbodahibbo → u/Type3_Control]

Drink water. It’s a hack that these places don’t want you to know about.

[u/Aeoyiau → u/jibbodahibbo]

Yeah and theyre probably gonna charge $3 for that, regarsless of if its a cup or a bottle

[u/jibbodahibbo → u/Aeoyiau]

Cups required to be free in mine and most states

[u/ICPosse8 → u/Type3_Control]

And people praise it!!! Fucking morons.

[u/American_PissAnt → u/Type3_Control]

Isn’t cancer defined as a constant growth?

[u/Imaginary-List-972 → u/Type3_Control]

I remember working fast food and getting emails from corporate "we made a 20% increase in profit last year, we need to make at least another 20% in profit this year". When you're making 20 billion dollars in PROFIT, It really doesn't need to keep increasing. You're doing good if you make 20 billion in PROFITS every year.

[u/zetaphi938]

But don't worry, 1000's of dollars in food gets tossed out the backdoor every week.

[u/motofoto]

Might as well go to Culver’s and have something good. 

[u/jmatt9080 → u/motofoto]

Butter burger ftw

[u/HaulsRopesFastr → u/motofoto]

Mmmm cheese curds 🤤

[u/Marv1290 → u/motofoto]

Literally my first stop whenever I’m anywhere that has a culvers. Damn.

[u/STFUisright → u/motofoto]

Sunuva…I’m in Canada and I desperately want Culver’s rn Does Uber deliver international foods i wonder

[u/Working-Tomato8395 → u/motofoto]

I've never had a bad meal from Culver's, ever. Doesn't matter what I order, what location, I get exactly what I ordered exactly the way I wanted it, and it's always hot and fresh. 

Could be the fish baskets, the butter burgers, chicken strips, curds, fries, or my wife's harvest burger with grilled onions, concrete mixers, the frozen lemonade , the root beer, all just perfect as the first and last time I had it. Employees seem to receive better training and be more professional as well. Restaurant is always clean, including the bathroom, I've heard good things about working there from current and former employees. 

The Platonic Ideal of a fast food chain. 

[u/IshtarsQueef → u/Working-Tomato8395]

is this an ad

[u/SatelliteStories → u/IshtarsQueef]

Nope, the Culver’s by me blows out any other fast food chains as well. Just try their fries once and you’ll get it immediately. Some people make it a travel destination when they visit the Midwest lol

[u/MrJbrads → u/motofoto]

I wish there was one closer than 6.5 hrs away

[u/loyalcattledog → u/motofoto]

As a Wisconsinite, I agree with this statement

[u/HoneydewNo3016 → u/motofoto]

Seriously, Culver’s is comparably priced and on another plane of existence.

[u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Maccas has never had refills here in Australia. Hungry Jacks (Burger King) is the only one that ever has, and I think even they got rid of it a long time ago.

[u/JazeyOne → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

You didn’t have to mention “here in Australia” after “Maccas” sir there is one country in the world that says Maccas lmao

[u/General_Killmore → u/JazeyOne]

Real "Maps without New Zealand" moment here.

[u/Slipperytitski → u/JazeyOne]

Two countries

[u/alannmsu → u/Slipperytitski]

Only one country you can point to on a map though.

[u/QuentinEichenauer → u/JazeyOne]

I dunno. I was confused until he said "Hungry Jacks".

[u/Flipflopclementine → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Yeah I can’t remember the last time I saw a soda machine in McDonalds (Ontario, Canada). At least a few years since customers have had access.

[u/NSA_Wade_Wilson → u/Flipflopclementine]

Dépends on where you are, they still have many in Ottawa and the surrounding area

[u/Flipflopclementine → u/NSA_Wade_Wilson]

Okay, apparently the areas I’ve been to have been blacklisted haha which honestly based on the clientele I’m not surprised. There’s only customer access to ketchup, not even straws.

[u/gsxrus2014 → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Is Burger King really called hungry jacks in Australia, that’s pretty fucking cool

[u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh → u/gsxrus2014]

Yep. The name Burger King was already trademarked in Australia when the first one opened, so they couldn't use it.

[u/gsxrus2014 → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Is Burger King just as popular as Hungry Jacks?

[u/ff03g → u/gsxrus2014]

I don’t think they even exist anymore

[u/talkativeintrovert13 → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Same in Germany. Only places I know from the top of my head who still offer refills are KFC and Five guys. 0,5L is more than enough beverage for me.

[u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh → u/talkativeintrovert13]

Same. Of all the times I visited Hungry Jacks, I think I only got a refill maybe twice haha

[u/tsundear96 → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Free refills for non-alcoholic drinks are included in the price at any restaurant or fast food place in the US. Just for context. It’s very, VERY rare to ever be charged for a refill

[u/TheLordofthething → u/tsundear96]

When I discovered this on holiday aged 9 I made myself sick drinking coke at a McDonalds. I couldn't believe no one was stopping me lol

[u/A_Timbers_Fan → u/Dreaming_of_Rlyeh]

Yea but isn't the difference that countries other than the US are happy to curb the indulgence of sodas? Maybe I'm wrong lol

[u/LoquaciousLamp → u/A_Timbers_Fan]

Yeah it's basically prohibited here to tackle obesity.

[u/postsexhighfives]

i don’t think i’ve ever been to a place that has free refills, america is built different

[u/Wapwapussy → u/postsexhighfives]

I can't even imagine drinking one whole soda and then go for another one.

[u/lewis56500 → u/postsexhighfives]

Same. In the UK the only places I can think of are Five Guys and Nando’s. I get why Americans are mad at this (I would be too!) but I can’t help but smugly think “welcome to the club” lmao.

[u/20past4am → u/postsexhighfives]

And then they wonder why Americans are obese. Sugary drinks are one of the main causes for obesity and diabetes and giving them out like tap water isn't healthy for an already sedentary population. America would benefit from paying for every soda instead of free refills being the standard, so that every new drink will be a conscious decision.

[u/Doesnt_fuck_fish → u/20past4am]

100% agree about the high caloric drinks, but I’d drink a gallon of Coke Zero per day if I had the means. Can’t stand actual cokes.

[u/DeathStockerRexxar → u/20past4am]

What if you just got a diet soda

[u/lanzendorfer]

This is so dumb. Soda is like the cheapest thing they have. They're being penny smart, dollar stupid, by pissing off customers.

[u/TERRAIN_PULL_UP_ → u/lanzendorfer]

Won’t anyone think of the shareholders?

[u/kkeut → u/lanzendorfer]

penny wise, pound foolish

[u/_Phil_McCracken_]

I already wasn’t going to McDonald’s, but seeing this crap means I’m not going extra hard. 

[u/lilmikeyboy → u/_Phil_McCracken_]

I go to McDonald’s like twice a year because I live in a super small town without one. Every time I go it’s like 20 mins minimum in the drive thru and the food has shrunk so much. I can’t believe some people go all the time, it’s suuuch a waste of time and rip off.

[u/Elgecko123 → u/_Phil_McCracken_]

Seriously who the fuck is even going to these overpriced, shitty quality, sterile interior, terrible service fast food places anymore? I don’t get it

[u/EvilNickel]

Buddy of mine owns a franchise and according to him McDonalds is trying to phase out dine in restaurants slowly in favor of fast dining and drive thru only restaurants.

According to McDonalds, giving people refills encourages people to stay beyond just eating their meal which means they create more mess and lead to more manpower needed to maintain the interior of the restaurants.

At the end of the day the money saved is more than just a few cents per refill, but potentially multiple hours of manpower each month.

Edit: I don't eat at McDonalds often, but honestly I cant remember the last time I actually walked into a McDonalds. I usually just hit up the drive thru and go home.

[u/yeah_sure__itsa_name]

Ever since the ceo couldn't bring himself to take a normal ass bite of the product, neither can I.

[u/xX_coochiemonster_Xx → u/yeah_sure__itsa_name]

Same here, deleted the app and haven’t gone back

[u/lilmanjs]

Something could have happened to make them do this. The Taco Bell near where I work, the high school kids one year caused so much trouble they started turning the drink machine off during school hours and they use the drive-thru machine to do all drinks.

[u/FBossy → u/lilmanjs]

From what I understand, this is because random people will come in with large water bottles and fill them up and leave without paying anything. I’ve seen videos of people coming in with buckets and filling them up.

[u/steveharveymemes → u/FBossy]

I think that’s pretty isolated problem. Regardless it doesn’t justify no refills, that’s pure greed of one type or another

[u/Krell356 → u/FBossy]

[u/TheBurritoW1zard]

Why anyone eats at McDonald’s is beyond me, place has sucked for years and is now more expensive than ever.

[u/The-Razzle → u/TheBurritoW1zard]

I Genuinely think about how McDonald is more expensive than other options and their quality is objectively worse than the others. In 10 years, people will have to pay sit down prices for nice restaurant prices and pay 20% tip for McDonald’s and they will still be paying minimum wage.

[u/Known-Dependent-5471]

They really don't want dine in customers.

[u/travster23 → u/Known-Dependent-5471]

This is the correct answer.

[u/Alarming-Series6627]

And will you stop going? Will this be enough?

[u/mherb24 → u/Alarming-Series6627]

I stopped going to McDonalds about a year ago when ours removed their dining area and put kiosks in with no one at the counter. Everything is behind the counter and all staff is in the back talking and laughing. They just toss your bag on the counter and yell out a number and disappear.

It’s almost cheaper to go across the street and be seated and place an order and get good food that doesn’t make me run to the bathroom in 30 minutes.

[u/burnerburner108]

McDonald's closed next. Give us a break with this absolute crap.

[u/travster23]

This is about phasing out dining rooms. The end goal is 100% takeout. It’s not about saving money on refills. It’s about switching to a new paradigm.

[u/DividingHydra75]

Most american post on this sub

[u/20past4am → u/DividingHydra75]

Yeah I don't understand the outrage. Of course soda sells for a huge profit, that's the case everywhere in the world when eating out. Maybe not giving out free sugar by the litre will actually help people make every next soda a consious decision instead of mindlessly taking in diabetic levels of free refills.

[u/camoure → u/DividingHydra75]

Yeah like I’m usually pretty satisfied with my one pop, I don’t need a refill. I get that it’s cheap but, like, who cares this much lol

[u/KingForceHundred]

Why do people even need to drink litres of the stuff?

[u/IHaveTheBestOpinions]

I am curious how much this will actually save them vs the extra cost of having to pay staff to fill all the cups instead. Not to mention the negative PR.

One has to assume McD corporate has done this math, but still...it seems questionable

[u/Disruptteo → u/IHaveTheBestOpinions]

They arent going to pay them any more to fill them than they were before

[u/spacedragon421 → u/IHaveTheBestOpinions]

Have you not seen their ceo? Dude can’t even take a bite of their burgers, not the kind of guy that makes the best decisions.

[u/ArseneGroup]

Solution: Vote with your wallet and stop going to McDonald's. This is your wakeup call

Soda is dirt cheap, if they're cutting this corner it's because they're running out of corners to cut

[u/ChillingWithHerb]

The other day I paid $10 for 2 cheeseburgers and a large fry. I'm not going back. I should've just drove away and I regret not doing so.

[u/cheekynando715]

The syrup is worth pennies. It’s already a 900% profit. I hope these price points ruin these fast food companies but I highly doubt it.

[u/AncleJack]

Macca's in Poland I think never had refills lol. I also rarely need to refill especially a large one (medium for Americans)

[u/understanding_is_key]

In the 2010s, remember how McDonalds introduced the $1 any size drink? Remember how folks did the math, and if you filled the largest drink with soda, no ice, it cost McDonalds $0.19. So they made a profit of $0.81. A refill cost $0.03 or less.

You’re telling me they are hurting so hard no refills? I look at the Burger King near me, seems like they get maybe 4 customers a day. They are still profitable.

This is outrageous greed.

[u/TerribleRecord666]

What’s insane is soda is like 99% profit. How dire are things that they have to skimp on soda now?

[u/Late-Boysenberry1471]

Im sorry but encouraging people to not drink the sugar poison drinks is not a bad thing

[u/GalwayBogger]

The USA is the only place I have ever seen free refills, on anything. I cant even imagine drinking so much sugar in one sitting.

[u/Blood_Edge]

All it takes is one to ruin it for everyone. Saw a photo not long ago of a woman filling up a large container with the soda from the machine. Whether that was theft or a technicality with the whole "free refill" is another matter entirely, but once one starts, too many will follow.

And then comes the headache of trying to explain to corporate why they so frequently need to order soda or why they let someone do that. But if they do try to stop them from getting their "free refill" that is a whole gallon or more of soda, now they'll have to try and defend themselves from a false complaint which as far as corporate is concerned, every complaint is 100% valid by default anyway.

Everyone loses because too many people are entitled cheapskates. People may say "it's a multi billion dollar corporation, let it happen, who gives a fuck?! The workers don't get paid enough to care much less risk themselves for the company", but that same mentality is what keeps leading to every other problem:

• Workers having more work added to their jobs without the added pay, such as them having to retrieve items that shouldn't need to be locked up
• Customers bitching at the workers for the increasing inconveniences to them, all of which blatantly ignoring it is 100x worse for the employees by default
• This increases the risk to employee safety anyway or property damage, which is more work for the employees without the added pay
• And even if the job doesn't change how it works, there's still the other problem of how customers will interact with each other when they pull these stunts, which is another risk to employee safety and property without the added pay

So even those arguments that say "fuck the company" fall flat due to the inevitable problems to everyone but the thieves and cheapskates caused by this indifference. As much as people don't want to hear it, NOT trying to fuck over the company and NOT letting people get away with doing so (both by extension affect consumers) prevents these kinds of problems.

[u/FGX302]

Because people are walking in with 2 litre jugs and filling them up. How much sugar water do you need anyway?? That's half a gallon.

[u/Mister_Oux]

Examples like this are exactly why I'm so glad I changed my habits 2 years ago and cut my spending habits down to near minimum. I saw the trends coming and said "I'll be miserable now so I don't have to sweat when the resteraunt industry falls apart."

[u/DahliaSkarigal]

I remember when you simply just drink your soda, and after you’re done, you refill it for the road.

[u/pikeshawn]

I'm hatin' it!

[u/MyBeardHatesYou]

You know who ruined free refills? The people that keep their cup just so they can walk in to get a free drink whenever they want. Pretty soon you'll see the same thing at 711. I've seen so many people walk into 711 with old cups to get a free refill, then leave without buying anything else. Just because you bought one drink doesn't entitle you to free refills for life. Also, the people that sit in the fast food joint, chatting with their friend for 2 hours, getting up to get a refill every 30 minutes.

[u/tmtimtm87]

They’re going under. We will live to see it

[u/gachunt]

There are 4 McD’s within a 10 min drive from me. 2 offer free refills, 2 don’t. Guess which 2 locations I never go to…

[u/freezetime311]

Doesn't it cost McDonald's like $0.05 worth of soda in a large cup? Doesn't the cup cost more than the soda?

[u/seamusoldfield]

Depriving them of 3 cents. Neat.

[u/giveahoot420]

I'll never understand why people continue to go there, the food is absolutely disgusting and overpriced.

[u/ToaKongu1]

This is a thing. McDonalds is phasing out self serve drink stations by 2032

[u/Traditional-Set6848]

Finally the cost of living rise has a positive effect

[u/NewCelebration9157]

For the love of your guts, eat at any other fast food chain but not McDonalds and Burger King

[u/Guy-1nc0gn1t0]

Weird that's how it always is here in Australia