UNDATED (WKRC) - You may have to start paying for your refills at McDonald's.
In September of last year, McDonald's announced it was phasing out its self-serve beverage stations, planning to have them removed from locations across the country by 2032. According to The New York Post, citing a report from Marketplace.org, a customer claimed that their local McDonald's location has begun charging for refills.
In September of 2023, a McDonald's representative confirmed to Business Insider that refills would be available for free "at the discretion of individual restaurant owners and operators."
A TikToker, who claimed to be former McDonald's corporate chef, uploaded a video on April, 23, in which he said the company was "reallocating resources."
The TikToker, Mike Haracz, said McDonald's had made the choice to remove its beverage stations "due to theft" and "having to clean" the station. Haracz went on to say that "most of McDonald's business is through the drive-thru," adding that it cost the company more to serve customers inside the store than those on-the-go.
I have seen a variety of people on this app say they've went into a McDonald's, got their drink, eaten inside, asked for a free refill and have been refused," the TikToker claimed.According to Marketplace.org, fast-food customers aren't dining in like they had in previous years, writing that the change was directly tied to how guests were buying their food.
"I haven't been inside a McDonald's since before Covid," one commenter on the TikTok wrote.
"Have not seen this yet in Columbus Ohio or Midwest/southern McDonald’s on road trips with family," another wrote.
"Just went to a McDonald's in Monterey CA that had a sign up for no refills," another individual added.
CEO of consulting firm FoodserviceResults told Marketplace.org that if McDonald's does axe free refills, other fast-food chains could follow suit.
“McDonald’s tends to be a leader in the industry. And very often, when they make big changes, other restaurants follow suit. McDonald’s is very smart about their costs,” Tristano told the outlet.
Per The Post, Panera Bread customers noticed self-serve machines at some locations were removed during the pandemic. It is unclear if they were ever reinstalled.
David Henkes of consulting firm Technomic told Marketplace.org that he believed cost could be a reason behind removing free refills.
“Every penny is starting to matter, particularly in quick service,” Henkes told the outlet.
Doing a quick calculation, Alex Susskind, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University, told Marketplace that if McDonald's serves 25 million guests per day in America, it would cost the company $250,000 a day if only 20% of those customers dine-in and 50% of those customers get a free refill. That would equate to $90 million a year, per the professor.
“That is real money. All these figures are estimates, and they are significant in my opinion,” Susskind told the outlet.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7zp%2Bdm52RqXyur8OopZqklKh6prrDoqWgZZ6keq670Z5kn6qVmnqzscWio6WrXZuutMCMn6aonF2bvLCwyJ6qZpufo8C2ucSrZKygmZvBtHnTq5ynnKNis7OtzZyfoquVYq%2B2v8innKyrXZi1orrGnqpmm5WkeqS00aKqZqOVor2kxsinqqShXZu%2ForrCoaCsnZWoerG7y6KasmWgpLmqr8ieqmabmaOwqrrNmquiZaKawLWt1KuYp6xdm7ywsIycn5qql5p6s7HFoqOlZaCdrrSxjKisrWWjpLGiedKeo59lo5q%2Ft7GMppicoJmjsrR5wZ6tnqqRnLJurcWfpquckZe2rbXTsg%3D%3D