People often talk about McDonald’s McFlurry straw-like spoon, but their regular straws have a strategy behind them, too.
Customers of the Golden Arches may have realized that the diameter of the straws used is wider than what’s used at other restaurants — and there’s a reason for this that directly impacts your McDonald’s experience.
According to the fast-food chain, their straw is slightly wider than a typical straw so the full taste of the soda can hit your taste buds.
This is partly why Coca-Cola taste so good at McDonald’s, they claim.
Because the difference is slight, you wouldn’t notice it right away — but your brain does.
But there’s a science behind it, too. When you eat sugar, your brain releases feel-good hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin.
So if the wider straw allows for more sugar in one single sip, you’ll be getting more of these feel-good hormones at once. The sugar rush leads to a dopamine rush, which makes you want to come back to McD’s for your next soda.
And there are even more reasons why your Coke tastes better at McDonald’s, including that they “follow the guidelines set by Coca-Cola and take steps to ensure that we serve a high-quality fountain beverage.”
Both the Coca-Cola syrup and the water are pre-chilled before going into the fountain dispensers, and the ratio of syrup is set to allow for ice to melt.
The chain also keeps the fountain beverage system cold so the drink is always refreshing and never room temperature. They also filter all the water before it enters the fountain dispensers “in order to ensure our drinks are always meeting a gold standard.”
