Why McDonald’s got rid of the weird McFlurry spindle, the straw that really isn’t
The soft-serve dessert has until now been accompanied by a plastic spoon whose hollow handle leads many people to believe (incorrectly) that it doubles as a straw.
McDonald’s is getting rid of the McFlurry “spindle,” the odd utensil that has sparked much confusion among customers.
The soft-serve dessert, introduced in 1997, has until now been accompanied by a plastic spoon whose hollow handle leads many people to believe (incorrectly) that it doubles as a straw.
The reason for the utensil’s unusual form: It’s inserted into the McFlurry machine to mix in the toppings, and then it’s left in the dessert to be handed over to the customer.
Now, McDonald’s said, its U.S. restaurants are changing how they mix the McFlurry. They’ll use a reusable spindle, and the ice cream will be served with a smaller, conventional plastic spoon. The goal is to reduce single-use plastic waste, it said.
A reusable spindle will be inserted in the machine for each McFlurry — except when one order requests multiple cups of the same flavor — and then will be removed and cleaned for its next use.
As part of its stated goal to become more environmentally friendly, McDonald’s has replaced some plastic Happy Meal toys with paper-based ones and is experimenting with strategies for reducing use of plastic straws. It recently announced that self-serve soda machines will be eliminated by 2032.
The McFlurry spindle is not the first McDonald’s spoon to be yanked. In 1979, the chain stopped handing out coffee stirrers that had tiny spoon bowls on the end because of concerns — aired in a congressional hearing, no less — that they were a favored implement for the snorting of cocaine.
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