Why McDonald's New Straws May Make Beverages Taste Different
McDonald's recently began rolling out new straws in the United States, which are clear for the first time in decades, replacing the iconic white straws with red and yellow stripes. Wholly unsurprisingly, the change has not been embraced by many of McDonald's loyal customers, and it turns out the new straws could actually be making your soft drinks taste different.
Chef Mike Haracz, a former McDonald's corporate chef who shares insider tips and tricks on his popular TikTok account, sought to answer why this may be the case in one of his latest videos.
"As many of you know, McDonald's has switched out their iconic straw for something that is either a little more sustainable, and/or cheaper," Haracz explained. "I'm not sure which one, because based on everybody's reviews—and I have tried it as well—[the] straw's not cutting it."
@chefmikeharacz Former #McDonalds chef talks about their new straws. #mcdonaldshacks #mcdonaldsccsing #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldschallenge #mcdonaldsdrivethru #mcdonaldsworker #fastfood #fastfoodlife #fastfoodreview #fastfoodworkers #fastfoodstories #foodtiktok #FYP #food #foodies #foodcritic #foodreview #foodreviews #foodreviewer
♬ original sound - Chef Mike Haracz
In fact, another TikTok user recently posted a viral video in which her clear straw could be seen crumpling when she attempted to insert it into her drink. "McDonald's, what is this? What happened to the regular white and yellow straw?" asked user RandomVirgo20 in a Nov. 17 video that has since been viewed nearly 2.5 million times. "Y'all getting cheap. I don't want no clear straw, I want a McDonald's straw."
Haracz continued: "So it is now a very clearly more flimsy straw that as soon as it bends, as soon as you have to drink like, a shake, if the shake machine is working, and it's too thick and it collapses, these straws start breaking. These straws start bending, they start cracking and becoming unusable."
He noted the effect that McDonald's straws have to make beverages such as Sprite and the Diet Coke taste better, which the chain even admits on its website that is "slightly wider than a typical straw" so the sugary beverages can hit your taste buds that much faster.
"Well, when you try these beverages through this new straw, it is not the same," Haracz said, gasping. "There's a variety of reasons why you perceive beverages in a certain way—by the volume, by the diameter of the straw, the tactile feel of it. But because it's changed, it's not hitting just right."
So, in addition to a flimsy straw that bends when you try to pierce your cup lid with it, it may also make your soft drink taste that much less delicious. Though, as many commenters pointed out, McDonald's restaurants in Canada, Europe, and Australia use paper straws that become soggy and unusable within minutes. In other words, take note Americans; it could always be worse.