McDonald’s quietly makes 2 menu changes that customers may not like

The beverage station, however, will receive a long goodbye, according to CBS News.

“McDonald’s will finally eliminate self-service soft drink stations in its restaurants, the company says, though you have nine more years to squirt your own Sprite: They could be out until 2032,” reported Today.com.

The chain says the change is aimed at creating a consistent experience for McDonald’s workers and their customers across all ordering points — meaning whether you order your Big Mac meal via McDonald’s Delivery, app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant, you’ll get your grub the same way.

“In a pure example of corporate doublespeak, the line is to ditch the self-service option. customers feature,” TheStreet shared in a previous article.

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Self-serve drinks were seen as a way to cut labor costs. Now, as chains want to squeeze every bit of margin out of their customers, franchise owners prefer to serve customers to reduce waste and take in revenue from occasional pay-for refills.

And while McDonald’s won’t complete the transition until 2032, many locations have already eliminated self-serve beverage stations.

As McDonald’s continues to emphasize its value message, it has also increased its focus on operational efficiency in restaurants.

The chain encourages digital ordering through its app and in-store kiosks, reducing reliance on front-counter service at many locations. The change is part of a broader effort to streamline operations and manage costs amid ongoing labor pressures.

During many McDonald’s visits, some customers seem to struggle with the kiosk system, especially when customizing orders.

“Restaurant operators are balancing pricing, traffic and margin pressures in a more constrained consumer environment,” Bank of America analyst Sarah Senatore said in an interview with CNBC.

However, McDonald’s has had success with its extra-price meals.

“I’m pleased to say that our EVM performance in the fourth quarter was as we expected at this point. With McValue and exciting marketing, we gained traction with low-income consumers in December, and we saw a meaningful increase in our price and affordability scores,” said Kempczinski.

“As expected, as US franchisees delivered these strong value propositions throughout the year, their cash flow increased compared to the prior year,” he added.

Still, as meat prices rise, McDonald’s has found ways to cut costs. It is also testing an artificial intelligence-based ordering system.

“There’s a big jump from 10 restaurants in Chicago to 14,000 restaurants across the U.S., an endless number of promo permutations, menu permutations, bidding changes, weather — and on and on,” Kempczinski said, according to a conference transcript obtained by Nation’s Restaurant News.

“Do I think in the next five years you’ll see drive-thru noise? I do, but I don’t think it’ll be something that happens in the next year or so.”

Related: 140-year-old food company lays off 765 amid bankruptcy

This story was originally published by TheStreet on April 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a preferred source by clicking here.