Why Does McDonald's Coke Taste So Damn Good?

Surveys show McDonald’s Coke to the average person does indeed taste better than anywhere else, to someone who enjoys Coke. But the question is, why? Research shows that McDonald’s straw size, being larger, helps produce a more satisfying flavor. The fact that McDonald’s also constantly chills their syrup, before pouring it, enhances the refreshing taste most customers get when taking a big gulp of their Coke. If every fast food industry would apply these two simple changes to their Coke making process, they would thrive with thirsty customers. We can help city to city, state to state, and country to country, one at a time. Here is how.

Data Collection Techniques are Describedv

Have you ever noticed how McDonald’s Coke tastes so much sweeter and more satisfying than any others? It just quenches that intense thirst you’ve had for something fizzy and refreshing. McDonald’s Coke in my opinion tastes much better than original. But how? Why does McDonald’s Coke taste better than everywhere else? That’s what I’m determined to find out.

Relate to Problem

When I go to McDonald’s and ask for a large Coke, and take a big gulp of it, I’m always satisfied. I don’t feel the same way about a bottle, or even a can of Coke. I believe, as do many others, that McDonald’s Coke taste more satisfying than anywhere else.

Why

“The water and Coca-Cola syrup are pre-chilled before entering our fountain dispensers with the ratio of syrup set to allow for ice to melt. We also keep our fountain beverage system cold so your drink can always be at the peak of refreshing. In order to ensure our drinks are always meeting a gold standard, we have proper filtration methods in place.”

This is what Mike Timmerman wrote when interviewing a local McDonald’s employee. Charlotte Burns interviewed bystanders at a local McDonald’s, and tied in a few conclusions herself, “Some say the drink is more palatable because they put more syrup into the mixture, while others think that as McDonald’s food is so salty, it makes you thirsty—which makes the soda taste better.” Also a McDonald’s spokesperson said: “Despite the speculation, there is no secret formula to our recipe. We’re delighted to hear that our customers enjoy drinking our Coca-Cola.” I found that McDonald's restaurants can get syrup delivered from a tanker truck and store it in a stainless steel cylinder. Because they sell a lot, it doesn't sit around as long. So the Coke syrup at McDonald's is fresher than their competitors. Fresher syrup makes better tasting fountain drinks.

Two Themes

The first theme I noticed is, if you ask a person that maintains a well thought out diet, and has balanced healthy meals, they are more likely to give negative answers to the questions asked when being surveyed. Whether it be from my personal survey or ones I’ve seen online. The second theme I saw when doing this topic was, those who believe McDonald’s Coke taste better, also tend to think there is a reason behind why it does, rather than those who disagree in which believe that all Coke is the same, and there is nothing that enhances the flavor.

Data collection techniques are described.

I handed out ten surveys. I had ten random people fill out the survey and return them the same day. It only consists of six simple and general questions. Four yes-no, one open end, and one scale. This was an opinionated data collection, so the subjects/participants were not swayed to answer an certain way. I then analyzed the data by finding out how many of them enjoy Coke in general, how many of them think the straw size or chilling the syrup changes the taste, and asked them to rate McDonald’s Coke on a scale given. After analyzing the data I then made a pie chart (which you will see in a few pages).

Analysis methods are described.

I first looked at whether the person liked Coke or not. To me, this is a major factor for this particular experiment topic. I then analyzed the data by counting how many people out of the ten that were interviewed picked the same answer. I also viewed their open ended question and personal opinions of the scale given to see if they corresponded with my research.

Intervention procedures are described.

I suggest that all other places chill their Coke syrup and purchase straws that are slightly bigger in diameter to produce better tasting Coke.

Results/findings are described.

Nine out of ten participants answered “yes” when asked if they like Coke. Six out of those nine participants answered “yes” when asked if they prefer McDonald’s Cokes more than anywhere else. Five out of the ten participants answered “yes” when asked if they think chilling the syrup makes a difference. Three out of the ten participants answered “yes” when asked if they think the straw size changes the overall taste of the Coke. Those who answered “yes” to straw size were then asked what they think the reason would be. One participant stated, “making them bigger would help,” another suggested, “I believe a swirly straw would improve the taste,” and another said, “The more drink let through, the less flavor the drink will have.” Those who answered "yes" also tended to have a reasoning behind why McDonald’s Coke tasted different as well. This was a theme I found. I then took the average ranking of a McDonald’s Coke, out of five (five being the highest), and the average was a 4.3. A 4.3 out of a 5 ranking is equivalent to an 86 percent, or "B" average, which is fairly high.

Conclusions Drawn

McDonald’s Coke, according to statistics taken by the public, does in fact taste more delightful than Coke from anywhere else. McDonald’s has proper filtration methods in place in order to reach their golden standard for customer satisfaction. Syrup that is then used to produce the decadent flavor is constantly being chilled till its use. The fact that straws made for McDonald’s are slightly larger than those made and used for other fast food industries, according to research from the “McDonald’s knows best” website, enhances the flavor. Research shows that the more taste buds that the beverage hits at once, the more flavor is received, therefore creating a tastier flavor.

Limitations

The fact that not everyone prefers Coke was a limitation. Having participants that didn’t like soda drinks could throw off the data set.

Areas of future research are described.

Future research could be done in other countries. They could do tests, at China and Japan for example, and have participants fill out surveys similar to mine. By comparing those to the United States, we could see who has the best tasting Coke then try and improve it. Further research could even go small and compare states in the US, or even just cities in Ohio.

References

Blake, I. (2016).So THAT’S why it tastes so good! The secret behind McDonald's Coca Cola is finally revealed. Daily Mail, 1.

Burns, C. (2016). This is why McDonald’s Coke tastes better than every other fast food chain.

Timmerman, M. (2016). The Secret Reason Why McDonald’s Coke Tastes the Best.

Boettner, J. (2016). Why Does Fountain Diet Coke Taste Better at Mcdonald's?