McDonald’s fans will eventually have to say goodbye to their favorite soda machines.
By the end of 2032, McDonald’s plans to phase out self-serve stations from its U.S. restaurants, PEOPLE can confirm.
The company wants to provide a unique experience for customers and crew members across all ordering methods, including McDelivery, app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant.
Golden Arches fans shared their unhappy thoughts about the change on Xu (formerly known as Twitter). One user wrote: “Damn, how could I [sic] mix everything to my taste,” referring to how customers like to mix different sodas in one cup. Another simply posted: “Whyyyyy?????
Some social media users have pointed out the reloading problem. “And what about supplements?” wrote another user on the app.
View of McDonald’s restaurant.
Getty
This is not the first time that the chain has reformed its strategy. In recent years, McDonald’s has taken items off its menu, including the McRib — a grilled pork sandwich with thinly sliced onions and dill pickles — that has been available on and off since its 1981 release.
McRib went on a “farewell tour” in November 2022 in various locations. “Enjoy our famous pulled pork sandwich like it’s your last,” the restaurant’s website read at the time. The McRib is back on menus after previous “farewell tours,” but only time will tell when and if it will ever return.
Little Debbie is launching 4 limited edition ice cream flavors — sold exclusively at Walmart
In another discontinued instance, the Arch Deluxe was a sandwich that McDonald’s launched in 1996, hoping to appeal to adult customers and shed its kid-friendly image. It featured a quarter-pound patty, a round slice of bacon and dijonnaise sauce on a seeded potato bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and ketchup. The sandwich was a failure and was removed from the menu in 2000.
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The discontinued Dairy Queen Blizzards and other treats are no longer on the menu
McDonald’s has also adjusted its menu offerings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whole pieces of chicken breast — battered and fried — were the main ingredient in chicken selects, a product that McDonald’s introduced in 2004. They disappeared from the menu for four years, from 2013 to 2017, and returned with a new name: buttermilk crispy tenders. After McDonald’s simplified its menu due to the coronavirus, chicken selects were discontinued again in 2020.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education