‘What happened to the regular white and yellow straw?’: McDonald’s customer demands answers after receiving new straw
"Why y'all change the straws?" It's a question that a TikToker who goes by Random Virgo (@randomvirgo20) has for McDonald's after she recently visited one of the fast food chain's locations.
She posted a viral TikTok video that's accrued over 2.1 million views as of Sunday. In it, she sits in her car as she slanders Mickey D's new straws while demonstrating their inefficacy.
"McDonald's—what is this? What happened to the regular white and yellow straw?" the TikToker asks at the top of her video.
She then attempts to push the new, clear straw into a drink that's resting in her cup holder with one hand. It begins to bend before it finally breaks into the entry point. "Y'all getting cheap. I don't want no clear straw I want a McDonald's straw," she says.
TikTokers aren't hating as hard
Several commenters assured Random Virgo that her straw situation could be way worse. "It better than the paper straws," one individual penned.
Another TikToker from across the pond echoed the aforementioned sentiment. "Don’t complain pls, in Europe we have pasta straw or cartoon straw, it’s worse," they wrote.
Additionally, many said they liked Mickey D's updated straw offerings.
"I actually like the new straws!" one wrote.
Someone else averred that the clear straws upgraded the flavor of their beverages. "Makes it taste more fancy."
Then there was a TikTok user who said the aesthetics of the straws were a selling point for them. "The clear ones are so pretty."
The good old days
Random Virgo does have plenty of folks who agree with her OG McDonald's straw love, however. One Facebook user who posted to the @Hip2Save page pined for the days of old. After uploading an image of the new clear drink accessory, they claimed they go "flat" very quickly. While conceding this is a "first world problem" they wanted to know if anyone else had the same issue.
Reactions from other Facebook users presented a mixed bag. Some said their McDonald's locations were using paper straws. And then some said theirs still rocked the red, white, and yellow straws of old. Others, however, were using the new "flatsies" that OP criticized in her image.
Additionally, McDonald's workers shared their own thoughts on the new straws in this Reddit post. One user on the platform posted a picture of the clear straws on the site's R/McDonaldsEmployees sub. The shift manager admitted they were ambivalent about the straws. "I hate it but I also like them? The change is [expletive] with me. They're thicker and harder to unwrap, but also harder to break?" they wrote.
One user wrote that they hated them because of how "flimsy" they were, echoing Random Virgo's criticisms. And then there was another employee of the chain who said they weren't fans, either: "They suck so badly! The lids bend them and then I have to create a bigger opening for the straw just drink out of them."
More environmentally friendly?
Previously, McDonald's ditched its classic white, yellow, and red striped straws in favor of more eco-friendly options. Numerous franchise locations opted for paper variants. However, these were critiqued for not being recyclable in addition to being annoying to drink with.
@randomvirgo20 Why yall change the straws.! #mcdonalds #fyp #fy #fypシ゚viral ♬ Oh No - Kreepa
The chain also seemed to test "sippy" cup lids, a la Starbucks. These, too, were met with some resistance from fans.
Its clear straws are purportedly made out of a "bio-based and renewable material (cellulose acetate)." There are tons of examples of these straws for sale online, like the ones featured on CiboWares' website. They appear to be a dead ringer for the ones shown in Random Virgo's video. According to the website, they last longer than paper straws, but are compostable.
The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald's via email and Random Virgo via TikTok comment.
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