McDonald’s is betting on new ways to quench your thirst.
The fast-food chain is attempting to ride the wave of creative sodas and inventive drinks that has swept the US in recent years. It’s introducing six new drinks to its US menus this week, including caffeinated refreshers and twists on its classic fountain drinks.
Starting this week, you can get three new McDonald’s soda concoctions, including your Sprite with a take called Berry Blast, which adds blue raspberry-flavored syrup and tops it off with cold foam. If you’ve been intrigued by “dirty sodas,” the soft drinks mixed with syrups and cream, McDonald’s is introducing a vanilla-infused creamy Dr Pepper. There’s also a Hi-C-based variation with vanilla and cold foam.
The three caffeinated refresher drinks, which have a lemonade base, include strawberry watermelon, mango pineapple, and blackberry passion fruit.
The new drinks — and the recently refreshed look of the chain’s beverage sub-brand, McCafé — are part of a play for a demographic drawn to a more youthful, playful drink experience. The company told analysts in a February earnings call that it sees a more than $100 billion opportunity for growth in beverages globally.
McDonald’s is one of several restaurants jumping into the beverage battles brewing between chains. From Starbucks to Taco Bell, customizable juices and sodas with foamy toppers and jelly mix-ins have become a staple behind counters.
The trendy sodas — most of which are crafted behind the counter and cost more than classic soft drinks — also come as the fast-food giant is rolling back its self-service drink stations. The company said in 2023 that it would remove the stations from restaurants by 2032. The goal is to create a more consistent customer experience, McDonald’s said.
It may be the end of self-service, but it’s the start of a new era of beverages for McDonald’s.
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