McDonald’s McFlurry Is Changing for Good

It’s been a season of big changes at McDonald's, between tweaking its classic burger recipe, getting rid of self-service soda fountains, and phasing out its McCafé Bakery line-up. Now, it’s announcing another chain-wide change that will have a noticeable impact on one of its top-selling treats: the McFlurry.

The McFlurry is an iconic menu item for several reasons, but two of the most notable are the sweet mix-ins and the weird spoons. I mean, seriously—raise your hand if you’ve ever tried to take a sip out of your McFlurry spoon. 

Over the years, the McFlurry spoons have been such a point of confusion for customers that the burger chain once offered free McFlurries for anyone who had ever tried to sip the dessert from the straw-like spoons.

Well, folks, those days are no more. Soon, the quirky cutlery will be a distant memory and a piece of fast-food history. McDonald's is discontinuing the McFlurry spoons, and as a result, totally changing the way McFlurrys are made. 

Why Is the McFlurry Spoon So Weird? 

If you‘ve ever wondered why your McFlurry is handed to you with a utensil already in place, that’s because the large, plastic spoon was used to make the whipped frosty treat.

It has a funny hollow shape in order to attach to the McFlurry machine and stir different mix-ins into the ice cream base. Without the detachable spoons doubling as spindles, the McFlurry machine would have to be cleaned between each order, which would cause the need for more labor and would likely result in more order back-ups.

McDonald's Is Changing McFlurry Spoons 

According to a brand statement, McDonald’s is phasing out the spindle spoons to seek more sustainable alternatives. Starting this month, U.S. restaurant locations are transitioning to a reusable spindle that’s swapped out and cleaned after each McFlurry is made. 

Retiring the straw-like spoons will reduce the restaurant's single-use plastic waste, aligning with the company's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the company. 

The treats will now be served with a smaller (normal) black spoon—the same one that currently comes with the sundaes. Luckily, this change won't affect the taste of the frozen treats, but one can only hope it won't disrupt the operations of the already unreliable McD’s ice cream machines.