Why McDonald's Customers Are Divided On Its Specialty Drinks

The new line of drinks is sowing division in the comments of a post on the Reddit forum for fans of McDonald's fast food. The beverages, which McDonald's claimed in a press release ushered in a "new era of drinks," were released at the end of April. The lineup is: Strawberry Watermelon Refresher, Mango Pineapple Refresher, Blackberry Passion Fruit Refresher, Sprite Berry Blast, Orange Dream, and Dirty Dr Pepper. The refreshers use a lemonade base and have inclusions like boba or freeze-dried fruit. The other drinks have added syrups or flavorings and are topped with cold foam. 

Most of the fans who have tried the Sprite Berry Blast agree that it tastes good. "The berry blast is amazing," wrote one commenter. Another agreed, writing "I was actually quite impressed with it. [It] reminded me of a blue slushie but not as syrup heavy and no brain freeze." The main downside with the Berry Blast that posters pointed out was the sugariness — understandable, at 82 grams of sugar for a large. Sugar was also an issue at the chain's short-lived drinks and snacks spot, CosMcs. Others enjoyed the Refreshers. One commenter had a review with a warning " Orange dream was delicious, just don't try to finish the vanilla that is left over." The issue many have with the new menu is the price. 

"We just paid $8.24 for two larges of the berry blast. Powerade + Sprite would probably be a similar flavor," wrote one commenter. One McDonald's fan described it as "Starbucks prices at McDonald's." People pointed out that the basic soft drinks are cheap and still tasty, just $1.25 with unlimited refills, depending on where you live. The reality is that McDonald's has traditionally been seen as the place to get a cheap meal, but, with all food prices going up, soon no place will be the cheap choice. McDonald's prices have gone up enough in the past few years that it may no longer be considered a value.

Some fans prefer the mixed drinks from other restaurants. One commenter gave their review, writing: "dirty Dr pepper: solid, but Sonic does it better." Dirty sodas have been a hit for a while now, and chains like McDonald's and Dunkin' are just now getting into the dirty game four years after mixing cream and syrup into your soda first became a trend.