Many McDonald's fans were furious after the fast food chain replaced its classic colorful straws with a new alternative.
Although they are a step up from the widely hated paper straws, the new straws have not been well received by some fast food fans.
McDonald's recently began replacing its red, yellow and white striped straws with clear straws in the United States.
Despite the subtlety of the change, many fans of the series did not take the switch lightly.
“Why did you change the straw?” He angered one customer (@randomvirgo20) in a TikTok video from November that had more than 2 million views.
“What happened to the regular white and yellow straws? They're so cheap,” the user shouted as she tried to pierce the cup with the straw, which bent before penetrating it.
“I don't want a clear straw. I want a McDonald's straw.”
Many McDonald's fans were against the new clear straws, complaining that they were not as durable as the old striped straws.
“It's very flimsy, so when you force it on the lid, it goes flat through the lid opening, and it's made of much stronger plastic,” one customer gushed on Reddit.
Others even complained that the clear straw had a strange, “petroleum”-like taste.
“1000% affects the taste of my drinks,” one user wrote. “A terrible change.”
On the other hand, some McDonald's fans had positive feelings about the new straws.
Many found the straws to be an upgrade from the red, white and yellow striped straws, describing the clear straws as “so pretty” and claiming they made the chain's drinks “taste even more amazing”.
Others have argued that they are much better than paper straws, because they are notorious for getting soggy after just a few sips.
One TikTok user even begged the original poster not to complain, pointing out that in Europe they have straws made of pasta.
Great strides in the field of sustainability
Plastic straws are a major contributor to plastic pollution, with billions of them ending up in landfills every year.
As part of its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, McDonald's has previously taken strides to reduce its use of plastic straws.
For example, the fast food chain began switching to paper straws in the UK and Ireland in 2018.
McDonald's locations in Japan, Canada and Austria have also replaced plastic straws with paper straws.
In the latter country, the fast food chain began making swimwear from a mix of recycled McDonald's plastic straws and post-consumer plastic waste reclaimed from the ocean.
The new transparent straw is claimed to be an extension of the chain's environmental efforts.
It's made from cellulose acetate, a bio-renewable material, and a McDonald's franchisee has been involved in X.
The US Sun has reached out to McDonald's for comment.
Other fast food chains are making big changes.
For example, a Taco Bell employee revealed that the new menu item would be discontinued days after its launch.
Additionally, Dunkin' announced a new twist on the fan-favorite espresso with the iconic pop star.