McDonald’s Ditches Free Refills, Further Upsetting Customers

The company’s strategies to focus on affordability seem to be a lot more “miss” than “hit.” Can McDonald’s afford to lose more customers after it already lost some from hiking up burger prices? 

This plan was announced last year. The removal of drink stations from the stores may happen slowly, but sure enough, by 2032, they will all be eliminated from all stores.

McDonald’s, like many other restaurant chains, has had to increase its prices in response to the increased costs of ingredients and employee wages.

McDonald’s reported reduced foot traffic in restaurants and a loss in revenue from low-income customers in particular, for who eating at home is the more affordable option.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in the company’s first-quarter earnings call that McDonald’s will be “laser focused on affordability”. This strive towards affordability will involve a number of strategies.

The restaurant chain vowed to lower prices and explore other ways to win back customers amid backlash to price increases that saw a Connecticut McDonald’s charging $18 for a Big Mac Combo Meal.

As more details have emerged, the move has backfired and only led to more public backlash. The deal will only last for one month from June 25 and not every restaurant will offer it.

But whether the restaurant will charge for refills is ultimately up to the individual franchisees, McDonald’s told USA Today via email.

McDonald’s wanted all its ordering methods — delivery, mobile, kiosk, drive-thru and dine-in — to be uniform both for the customers and the workers. That is, no matter how you order your meal, you’ll get it the exact same way.

Other franchise owners also cited food safety and theft prevention as reasons why eliminating the self-serve drinks service would be a valid idea. Besides, there were also fewer dine-in customers.

Meanwhile, crew power will also eliminate theft and emphasize “the brand’s new focus on creating a more relaxed dine-in experience complete with servers delivering meals to table.”

The staff in that particular McDonald’s is tasked with pouring the initial drink orders, as well as delivering them to each table for dine-in customers along with the meals.

Not everyone believes this is the true motivation behind the move. Mike Haracz, a former corporate chef for the company, laid out a different theory on TikTok.

This would mean that if a restaurant started charging for refills of the same cup they’ve already sold, they would start making a significant profit on the cheapest part of the drink.

One user commented on Haracz’s clip ““If they thought they could get away with it they’d charge us extra for napkins, straws, lids, paper bag, wax paper wrapped around sandwich, fry container, salt, ketchup, ice, to sit down…”

McDonald’s tends to be an industry leader when it comes to fast-food best practice. In the words of Darren Tristano, CEO of the consulting firm FoodserviceResults, “when they make big changes, other restaurants follow suit”.

Customers of Wegmans and Panera Bread will have noticed that self-serve machines are notable by their absence from certain locations. According to Alex Susskind, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University, some restaurants at mall courts across Ney York and Pennsylvania are also putting their drinks machines behind the counter.

Customer eating habits have changed since 2004, with fewer dine-in customers at restaurants, according to David Henkes of food service research and consulting firm Technomic. This makes the self-serve machine less of a benefit.

If less people are dining in-store and therefore less people are using these self-serve machines, it no longer makes sense for brands to invest the time and effort in maintaining them.

For now, customers can still get their own refills. However, that will change gradually throughout this year when the store’s front counter is remodeled to move the station behind the counter. This would permanently remove the self-serve drink stations.

Franchise owner Kim Derringer said her restaurants would only go crew-pour-only in late 2024. She’s also not worried about free refills disappearing completely. “Free refills are a big draw for people. I don’t see anything taking that away,” she said to Today.

Another X user ranted, “Beef patties now smaller than bun, cost is equal to nicer restaurant, would get more food elsewhere for that cost, refills for even more money you wouldn’t spend elsewhere. McDonald’s has lost it’s mind.”

“My local McDonald’s stopped free refills years ago,” said an X user on the platform. Others reacted indifferently saying, “A lot of places already do this. This isn’t new.” A particular complaint is the lack of manpower for serving their drinks: “One of our local McDonald’s doesn’t have a drink machine in the restaurant. You have to ask for refills at the counter, which is usually unattended.”

These complaints, however, highlighted the same problem that seemed to be going around in McDonald’s everywhere: there’s not enough staff to maintain the service. “They don’t have enough staff to monitor them and make sure they’re getting cleaned,” said a Facebook user. If McDonald’s is serious about having their staff pour initial drinks and catering to dine-in customers’ experience, clearly staffing issues cannot be underestimated.