How did McDonald’s decide on the diameter of their straws? I originally came up with this question a while back. I went to their site, but they didn’t have the answer in the FAQ, so I filled out one of the handy auto-response forms and patiently awaited the answer. I didn’t really expect an answer because it’s a rather absurd question, but they called me! A nice lady informed me that McDonald’s and Coke did consumer studies, but didn’t really elaborate. I was in shock and didn’t think to delve deaper.
So, now here I am a while forward and still wondering. Why are they as wide as they are?
Stan is likely correct. Fluid flow through a straw is governed primarily by three factors: fluid viscosity, straw cross-sectional area, and pressure differential. The thicker the fluid, the smaller the straw cross section and the lower the pressure, the lower the flow rate, and vice versa. Hence, the wide straw, so you can drink the shakes without bursting a seam.
Yeah, that makes sense. But don’t you think there is more too it? I mean its machine made that means they had to decide on parameters and measurements, which means they had to do tests. Was an extra 1mm to wide? Was max fluid intake per second a factor?
I doubt it. Having done coke years ago (and never since, boys and girls), I can tell you those little stirrers would be absolutely horrible for snorting.
Almost every fast food chain sells milkshakes. Why do so few of them use thick straws like McDonald’s? The only other place I can think of offhand that has thick straws is Sonic, and they’re not even a nationwide chain.
As to the cocaine thing, I had always heard that the ends of the stirrers used to be shaped like tiny spoons. I’ve seen tiny spoons sold in headshops, ostensibly for cocaine use (never touched the crap myself, so I wouldn’t know for sure), so it seems like a stirrer of this shape would be perfect.
I think the ends of the stirrers are flat now. As I don’t drink coffee, I don’t know for sure (Boy, I’m a great source of info, eh?). Whether the change had anything to do with their use as parapharnalia, I do not know. It seems unlikely.
Almost every fast food chain sells milkshakes. Why do so few of them use thick straws like McDonald’s? The only other place I can think of offhand that has thick straws is Sonic, and they’re not even a nationwide chain.
As QED explained, “thick” shakes require “thick” straws. The fact that McDonalds is alone among fast food restaurants in your area using them does not refute this fact.
IMHO a narrower straw is better suited to enjoying a carbonated beverage such as fountain soda. The pressure drop that occurs as soda in a thin straw enters the mouth results in the formation of carbon dioxide bubbles. With a thick straw, the pressure drop is not as great, resulting in the unpleasant sensation of excess carbonation in the back of one’s throat.
Most fast food restaurants serve copious amounts of fountain soda and comparatively fewer shakes.
Clearly, companies that provide only narrow straws are making a decision to please soda drinkers that happens to frustrate those shake drinkers that must immediately begin consuming their shakes or prefer a faster overall rate of flow.
IMO, McDonalds went with the minimum diameter straw that could allow immediate, adequate shake flow at serving temperature.
Consider the number of large chain/ fast food restaurants that stock more than one size drinking straw - none that I can think of. I am convinced providing the proper straw is a supply room/restocking problem.
As an aside, Wendy’s restaurant avoids this dilemma altogether by offering a spoon to consume their (much thicker) dairy treat, somewhwere between a shake and soft serve ice cream in consistency.
I think there is some truth. I seem remember that at the time the coffee stirrers were plastic sticks with a logo on one end and a tiny spoon on the other. They were not staws.
Somebody probably looked at one while they were inhaling a Big Mac instead of their toot and decided that the little spoon would work as a substitute for their sterling silver model. The story probably started to make the rounds with embellishment until an article was written about McDonalds stirrers being used as coke spoons even though it probably only happened on rare occassions. Suddenly, image conscious McDonalds changed the design of their coffee stirrers.
That’s my recollection of what happened to I’ll leave it to Cecil to confirm or deny the veracity.
Oh those* kind. Yeah, I haven’t seen those in so long, I’d forgetten about them. I remember they had the “M” logo on one end with one of the characters below it, and the little shallow spoon on the other end. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were some truth to that, then.
Alright that seems to make sense. Sonic is one of the few chains that I know of that has different size straws. The choice is left somewhat up to the customer; get a coke and a cream slush and get two different looking straws (gotta figure the big one goes with the slush)
On a side not I did discover why straws only have striped patterns on them. I emailed a manufacture of straws and they said its because of design. Straws are made by pulling the plastic into its molds and therefore only stripes can be made…or something to that extent.
Another site stated " *“Because it lets more carbonation hit your tongue and makes the soda taste better. That’s why it’s better at McDonald’s.”…i had McD’s for the first time in a while tonight and was like “wtf” with the big straw and here I am now. I don’t know if it tasted better but it sure felt like you were sucking up a lot more drink.