Let’s face it, some coffee shops and fast-food places load their beverages with lots of ice. Sometimes, it’s most of the cup, diluting the drink so it loses its flavor.
When opting for little or no ice, customers may expect the same amount of product. That’s what one woman expected with her McDonald’s Blackberry Passion Fruit Refresher. What she received was nothing like what she imagined.
What’s the problem with this McDonald’s refresher?
“Can someone tell me if this is accurate?” Virginia TikToker Nicole (@folkmedicineremedies) asks, referring to the half-full purple McDonald’s beverage on her table. “I asked my husband to go get another of that dragon fruit black drink with light ice this time, because yesterday, it was just really full of ice and really watered down.”
Then she picks up the drink and swirls it. “They said it’s pre-measured. Can somebody confirm that for me, please?” the content creator inquires, placing the drink down.
Nicole vows in the caption, “Guess that’s the second and last time I buy one.”
McDonald’s employees enter the chat
Nicole’s clip accumulated over 6,500 views, where alleged McDonald’s workers chimed in with their explanations. Many vehemently disagreed with her, claiming less ice didn’t equal more liquid.
“You don’t get more when asking for less ice,” one viewer commented.
“With the ice, it would be full. They don’t give you more liquid just because you asked for no ice,” another echoed.
Meanwhile, others concurred with Nicole about how this specific drink’s ice requirements were different.
“I will say when McDonald’s first started the refresher, that would have been correct. But about 2 weeks in, [they] came out and said [to give] more lemonade when light ice is asked for,” one commenter stated.
“No its not pre measured. You put 6 pumps of the black berry syrup then ice then lemon, [and] dragon fruit to the top. I work at McDonald’s,” a second agreed.
But an alleged manager joined the conversation. “This drink is made incorrectly per procedures. I’m a manager. They are supposed to add lemonade to the top yellow line and add ice. If you choose no ice, lemonade goes to [the bottom] of [the rim],” they said. They posted a photo of the beverage’s supposed measurements. No ice called for pouring lemonade beneath the cup and stirring, whereas light ice called for ice on top.
How does McDonald’s measure its drinks?
It’s no surprise that the amount of ice added to beverages has drawn criticism. McDonald’s is no different. Earlier this year, one customer vented their frustrations on the r/McDonalds subreddit about how little they fill iced coffees for less-ice requests, with a photo of the two-thirds drink as proof. Like clockwork, alleged employees offered their two cents on how the ice-to-liquid ratio works.
When customers order little to no ice, one employee explained they’re “paying for volume, not container,” and “filled up with all the amounts and ingredients of that drink, with no ice.” Another blamed the Redditor’s underwhelming coffee amount on the new automated machine for “being stingy.”
But a third argued the machine wasn’t at fault. “The ABS (automated beverage system) is set up and programmed to dispense a full cup for whatever the drink size, no matter whether the customer orders their soft drink with regular ice, light ice, no ice, or extra ice,” they said. Ultimately, a fourth declared the ice and drinks ratio “depends on the location.”
@folkmedicineremedies
Subplot reached out to Nicole via email and TikTok direct message, as well as McDonald’s via press email.
