McDonald’s fans claim a new type of straw makes drinks taste different.
The chain recently started rolling out new clear plastic straws at locations across the US.
This change brings an end to the iconic white straws with red and yellow stripes, which many customers are not happy with.
A TikTok user posted a video in November from her attempt to put the clear straw in a drink, but it wrinkled.
The user, who goes by the handle RandomVirgo, accused the company of being “cheap.”
“I don’t want a clear straw, I want a McDonald’s straw,” she said in the viral video, which has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.
And former McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz has also taken to the social media site to explain why drinks might taste different with the new straws. Men’s magazine reported.
“As many of you know, McDonald’s has ditched their iconic straw for something a little more sustainable and/or cheaper,” Haracz said in a statement. video.
“I’m not sure which one, because based on everyone’s reviews – and I’ve tried it too – it doesn’t cut the straw.”
A TikTok user posted a video in November of her trying to insert the clear straw into a drink, but it crumpled
Haracz said he’s heard that “everyone’s favorite drinks,” including Diet Coke and Sprite — which many claim taste better with McDonald’s old straws — are “not the same” with the new straw.
“There are different reasons why you perceive drinks in a certain way: by the volume, by the diameter of the straw, by the tactile feel of it,” he said.
“But because it’s changed, it doesn’t hit exactly right.”
Haracz has also addressed complaints that the straws break and stop when customers try to drink through them.
“It’s a very clear, thinner straw now,” he said.
Haracz said he’s heard that “everyone’s favorite drinks,” including Diet Coke and Sprite — which many claim taste better through McDonald’s old straws — are “not the same” with the new straw
This change brings an end to the iconic white straws with red and yellow stripes, which many customers are not happy with
McDonald’s had previously said on its website that its straws were slightly wider than a typical straw, to enhance the flavor of Americans’ favorite drinks.
The wider straw ensures that more soda hits your taste buds at once, creating a more intense burst of flavor.
You may not be aware of it, but your brain is. That burst of sugar releases feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.
Although the color of McDonald’s straws has changed in some locations, it is unknown if the diameter has also changed.
Although many customers were unhappy with the new clear straws, some commentators claimed they are better than the paper straws the chain uses in Europe.
The clear straws are reportedly made from “a bio-based and renewable material (cellulose acetate),” according to a McDonald’s franchisee who posted on social media site X.