Good-bye self-serve fountain drink stations, crew pour soft drinks returning to McDonald's

McDonald's self-serve fountain drink stations are about to go the way of Chicken Selects, the Big ‘N Tasty and the McHot Dog.

The decree has come from McDonald’s Corporate to retire the self-serve drink stations by 2032, according to several local franchise holders.

That slow rollout means dine-in customers can still expect to top off their own soft drinks at most locations for now. But a handful of local Golden Arches already have begun the transition.

“It’s an evolution towards convenience and (the result of) the growth of digital service,” said Mikel Petro, who with his wife and in-laws operate 15 McDonald’s throughout central Illinois.

The McDonald’s in Lincoln – one of Petro’s restaurants – recently took the first baby step by having crew members fill dine-in customers’ initial soft drink order, which is delivered to the table along with the meal.

Customers can then get their own refills.

Customers who place take-out orders at the counter will continue to get an empty cup to be filled at the self-serve drink station.

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Petro said a front counter remodel project is planned in October, which will install the power and plumbing for the behind-the-counter drink station that crew members eventually will use to fill all dine-in and take-out orders placed at the counter.

But the full transition won’t take place until the summer of 2024 when the self-serve drink stations are removed.

Handing counter customers an empty cup went out the window at the McDonald’s at 3250 S. Sixth St. in Springfield since the start of the year. Franchise owner Brad Davis said the restaurant was selected as a test location for the new “crew pour” system.

“It was an adjustment for customers and staff,” Davis said. “But we didn’t get too many complaints on it.”

Davis – who owns six Springfield McDonald’s, as well as franchises in Taylorville, Champaign and Shelbyville – said his other stores will make the transition as locations are remodeled. No timeline has been set, he said.

Davis’ other McDonald’s in Springfield are located at 2100 N. Dirksen Parkway, 3151 S. Dirksen Parkway, 522 W. Jefferson St., 3208 Clear Lake Ave. and 861 Toronto Road.

Local franchise operators say several market factors are at play in McDonald’s decision to axe self-serve stations.

The COVID-19 pandemic first raised the specter of how to keep such publicly used spaces clean. The crew pour system – which actually will use automated beverage systems to mechanically fill drink orders – minimizes human contact. And new cups are used for refills.

Crew pour also eliminates theft and emphasizes the brand’s new focus on creating a more relaxed dine-in experience complete with servers delivering meals to the table.

But, perhaps the biggest push is consumers' interest in eating off-site and the variety of ways to get a Big Mac these days.

The choice used to be binary – dine in or drive through. But now busy diners can also opt for mobile orders that are ready on arrival and third-party delivery services. Workers fill soft drink orders in advance for all these services.

And the shrinking dine-in crowd makes it harder to justify the space required for self-serve drink stations.

The global fast-food restaurant chain began installing self-serve fountain drink stations as early as 2004, handing customers an empty cup and allowing them endless access to customize their own drinks and refill to their heart's content.

Before that, the decision between large, medium or small was a more weighty matter. The call determined how strictly one had to ration their single-fill cup to last the entire meal.

Kim Derringer, the franchise operator for three McDonald’s locations in the Springfield market, said late 2024 would be the soonest crew pour drink service would arrive at any of her restaurants.

Derringer owns the McDonald’s at 2303 W. Monroe St., 3035 Chatham Road and 3420 Freedom Drive.

But customers need not fear losing free refills.

“Free refills are a big draw for people,” she said. “I don’t see anything taking that away.”

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: McDonald's ending self-service soda fountain drink stations