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McDonald’s (MCD) is phasing out its self-serve soda fountains that allow customers to fill their own cups. By 2032, the iconic machines dispensing a choice of Hi-C, Fanta, Diet Coke, and Dr Pepper — or a mix of any of those — will be behind the counter instead of in the front.
Worried about still being able to get a free refill? According to one McDonald’s executive, you should still be able to go back for more.
“Free refills are always up to the kind of franchisee, but I count on the fact that most of them are probably going to continue to do that,” McDonald’s CFO Ian Borden told Yahoo Finance.
McDonald’s announced the soda machine phaseout in 2023, as the chain intended to create a more consistent experience for customers and crew members across delivery, app orders, kiosks, drive-through, and in restaurants. But conversation around the shift resurfaced this week as consumers began to take notice.
“One of the things that we’ve seen over the last several years is just the growth of digital, the growth of delivery,” CEO Chris Kempczinski said on a call with investors. “That means that the kind of customer flows or customer journey and our restaurant looks a little bit different. … We are certainly working with franchisees to think about what that restaurant of the future needs to look like.”
Reassuring customers who have been vocal about the change, Borden said, “All of our consumers can be assured that when they come into McDonald’s, they’re going to get what they’re looking for.”
Meanwhile, other fast food giants have weighed in more emphatically on the matter. Restaurant Brands’ (QSR) Burger King said it plans to keep its self-service soda machines.
“When they want a refill, they can have a refill — that’s the way we feel about it,” Burger King US and Canada president Tom Curtis told Yahoo Finance. “Our consumers are telling us that they want to come into a restaurant, if they don’t have a freestyle machine they want to mix their own, we’re going to allow them to do that with the beverage dispensers that we have.”
McDonald’s phaseout is part of a new beverage strategy the company launched in late April with the debut of six specialty drinks, including refreshers and “dirty sodas,” or customizable sodas mixed with creamer and flavored syrups.
“The three refreshers and the three crafted sodas are kind of the first step in that direction,” Borden said.
Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.
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