McDonald’s ditched their classic striped straws for plain, cheaper ones, and let’s just say—some McFans aren’t exactly lovin’ it.
Videos by Suggest
“Why y’all change the straws?” demanded TikTok user Random Virgo after she noticed the new clear, reportedly sustainable version of the sucking devices.
“McDonald’s—what is this? What happened to the regular white and yellow straw?” the TikToker bemoans in the footage.
“McDonald’s—what is this? What happened to the regular white and yellow straw?” the TikToker bemoans in the footage.
With one hand (her nails very on point), she tries to slide the new, clear straw into the drink sitting in her cup holder. The straw starts to bend, resisting her effort before finally piercing through the lid.
“Y’all getting cheap. I don’t want no clear straw I want a McDonald’s straw,” she demands of the burger behemoth.
Many onlookers agreed with the assessment.
“I thought they just ran out of regular straws, but it’s been like 3 weeks with these clear straws. I don’t like these!!” one TikTok user wrote in the comments.
While it certainly feels like the end of an era to get rid of the iconic striped versions for clear, many onlookers supported the switch up.
“I like the new clear straws,” one user insisted. Many who viewed the footage from outside the States also point out how it could always be worse. “Don’t complain, in Canada, we get paper straws everywhere, not just McDonald’s… not fun,” one comment read.
Former McDonald’s Corporate Chef Weighs in on the Controversial Straw Switch
Mike Haracz, a former McDonald’s corporate chef, also recently criticized the new straws.
“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 detailed in a December TikTok.
“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 detailed.
Not only is McDonald’s straw switch rubbing customers the wrong way, Haracz claims it’s giving their drinks a whole new flavor.
“Well, when you try these beverages through this new straw, it is not the same,” Haracz insisted. “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.”
“Based on everybody’s reviews—and I have tried it as well—[the] straw’s not cutting it,” Haracz concluded.
In the comments, many onlookers agreed with Haracz’s straw assessment.
“The straws split and are unusable,” one McLover declared.
“I’ve eaten at McDonald’s three times since the new straws came out, and all three of them were broken before I took my first drink,” another user claimed. “I’m just not going to McDonalds anymore,” they added.
Meanwhile, the fast food giant seems to have no plans to return to their former straw glory, leaving a beleaguered nation wondering if there will ever be another McRainbow.