# McDonald's refill policy in America **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498 "2002-04-19T12:32:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/41 "2002-04-20T18:26:26Z")
Most likely the bottles sold in Canada are made in the U.S. and they just get a different label, which presumably is cheaper to do than to make an entirely different bottle for Canada. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/42 "2002-04-20T18:37:29Z")
Nothing wrong with the number 591 anyway if you ask me. It’s quite a nice number. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/43 "2002-04-20T18:50:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Why A Duck \* > \*\*I also get routinely ridiculed at the local donut shop when I go in to buy my medium coffee and single donut. “But stupid-customer,” they tell me, “for five cents more you can have two donuts!” I then point to my ample figure and say that one is prolly enough. \*\* You should sell your second donut to the next guy in line for $0.25. ---
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/44 "2002-04-20T18:53:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mike H \* > \*\* > > It’s probably more of a marketing thing. People don’t generally associate “quarts” with soda, or food generally. Selling 2 quarts of Coke makes it sound like your buying motor oil or something. So some marketing whiz noticed that a liter is pretty close to a quart and said, “aha! we’ll call it a 2 Liter bottle instead”. \*\* Possibly, but I’m pretty sure soda used to be sold in quart bottles, prior to the 1970s-era attempts at introducing the metric system. The metric system seems to have taken hold in several beverage-related areas; most liquor is sold in 750mL bottles. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/45 "2002-04-20T18:55:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bearflag70 \* > \*\* > > You should sell your second donut to the next guy in line for $0.25. \*\* lol! True! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/46 "2002-04-20T19:40:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by occ \* > \*\* > > Possibly, but I’m pretty sure soda used to be sold in quart bottles, prior to the 1970s-era attempts at introducing the metric system. The metric system seems to have taken hold in several beverage-related areas; most liquor is sold in 750mL bottles. \*\* I recall quart bottles of soda at my father’s store when I was a wee lad, but 1-liter and then 2-liter bottles took over in the mid 1970s. 1-liter bottles quickly fell out of favor as they were just not the right size for people to use. It was too much for one person and not enough for two or three people. I remember when Pepsi started selling its product in 64 fl oz bottles and they were called “The Boss”. This size eventually became a 2-liter bottle and it was always a popular seller. 2 liters is a good size for a family. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/47 "2002-04-20T23:14:41Z")
You know, in all my life, in the three different places I’ve lived ( :rolleyes: ) I’ve never come across a restaurant that didn’t have free refills. So yesterday when we were discussing in German class about how it works in Germany, we were quite surprised! But as other people mentioned, it’s _dirt_ cheap for the restaurants to have the soda machines. To answer the OP’s other question, I know that when I go out with my husband to a fast food place, we only order one small drink, and just share it. It’s not too much of a hassle to refill it every five mins or so. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/48 "2002-04-21T20:00:14Z")
Another factor: The most common context in which most Americans will encounter the different fast food soft drink sizes is in “supersizing”, or whatever the chain in question calls it: You can buy a value meal for a certain price with a medium drink and a medium order of fries, or you can pay 39 cents more and get the same burger, but with a large fries and a large drink[sup]\*[/sup]. A person might then order the supersize because they want more french fries, and end up with a larger drink as a sort of side effect. \*Of course, they’re usually not called “medium” and “large”. At many fast-food places, the smallest drink size is “medium” or “regular”, scaling up to “large”, “extra-large”, and “supersize” or some such. I’m cutting through the marketing hype and defining the default drink with a combo meal to be “medium” ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/49 "2002-04-21T21:06:36Z")
It’s good to hear [Someone](http://www.theonion.com/onion3011/cola.html) is doing something about this problem! E3 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/50 "2002-04-22T02:10:22Z")
so… am i the only american who, most of the time, doesn’t even bother buying a drink at a fast food restaurant? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/51 "2002-04-22T02:38:46Z")
I think Carl’s Jr. came up with the self-serve “soda bar” idea. At least I remember them advertising it at a time when the other fast food places still had the soda machine behind the counter. Perhaps other fast food places only followed suit in the US because Carl’s Jr. didn’t exist internationally (or for that matter, in all of the US). ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/52 "2002-04-22T04:25:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wooba \* > \*\* > Are they using magical cows there? \*\* Well, thats not too far from the truth… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/53 "2002-04-22T05:42:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mike H \* > \*\*It’s probably more of a marketing thing. People don’t generally associate “quarts” with soda, or food generally. \*\* My store has a huge case filled with quarts of milk. And half-quarts (pints) and two quart packages (half gallons) and four quart packages (gallons). And not just milk, there’s also orange juice, lemonade, blended fruit juices, fake fruit juice punch things and iced teas. ---
**Author:** ![DJMgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/958977/32.png) [@DJMgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJMgt)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498/54 "2002-04-22T23:03:03Z")
Every McDonald’s around here (suburbs of Minneapolis, MN) has a “soda-fountain island”. You don’t have to go to the counter. Then again, I do live in a relatively newer area so maybe it has to do with how long the McDonald’s has been there. I do know Wendy’s doesn’t usually have the soda islands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-refill-policy-in-america/104498.md?page=2)