Why do fast-food places always put so much ice in their drinks?

Question

It makes it taste really bland and all the fizz goes out of it. McDonalds in particular

Answer 1

So that they use less drink!!!

Answer 2

The reason is simple.
The syrup used to produce the drink is mixed at a ratio of 6:1 with carbonated water. So for every 10 ltr bag in box you get 70 litres of product.
Assume they pay £20 for each box and sell say half a litre at an average of £1, they make £120 for each box.
However if they dilute the contents with more ice then the profit margin goes through the roof.
The product is already chilled when it goes therough the carbonation process so more ice is not necessary.

Answer 3

This ones easy. Ice is cheaper than the mix they use for each drink. Same goes for hard drinks in restaurants. The profit on a mixed drink is like 200%. For soft drinks at fast food places, order the drink with either minimal ice or no ice. The mixture comes out cold.

Answer 4

You should really ask for no ice. Cause a study was just done showing that Fast Food Restaurants don't properly clean their ice machines. The study showed that their ice machines were nastier than a public toilet.

But if you really want ice, take the time to go inside and order. Then you can make your drink yourself. Actually, you usually get waited on faster than in a drive-thru.

Answer 5

I have worked at a few food places and I always ask if they want ice or not. Most people ask for ice and when you only give them half a glass or less they complain. When you work on a scale where you are serving an average of 200 plus people in a meal period you give up asking when your last 100 people all wanted ice. It's easier to let the customer tell you if they want less or no ice at all.

Answer 6

They do it to save money on the actual product. The ice isn't nearly as costly as the the soda/soft drink. It's simply a making money/increase profit tactic. Just ask for light to no ice, they usually will comply but make sure they don't gip you on the amount by attempting to not actually fill it up.

Answer 7

they do that because the ice fills the cup more so they put less soda in it. It's a way to save money. I work at boston market, and we have an ice machine...it's very dirty inside 9 all fast food places have dirty ice machines) word of advice; ask for no ice

Answer 8

I used to work in Pizza Hut and we were trained to fill the glass with 1/3 ice because sometimes the drinks were at room temp and also it was unlimited refills so it stopped people drinking so much

Answer 9

The ice displaces the drink so that they don't have to fill your glass/cup with as much drink therefore saving cash.

I always ask for no ice so I get a full glass of coke etc...

Answer 10

Obviously, so they don't have to put as much in the cups! If you took the ice out, you would probably have about one third of a drink. So basically, you're paying for two thirds of a cup of ice!!!!!

Answer 11

I hate that so much. Like you say, if you don't guzzle it straight down it goes all watery. They do it so they use less drink and you think you are getting that ice cold crispness you wouldn't get from somwhere else. Just ask for no ice when you order it.