What Makes McDonald's Coke Taste Better Than Other Coke

Any fan of Coca-Cola can tell you it tastes better from a fountain, and anyone who's ever had it from McDonald's can tell you their Coke is the best there is — by far. There's a reason for that: McDonald's takes their Coke dispensing very, very seriously. So what's their secret? Are they serving up a higher quality of Coca-Cola than all other restaurants? A company spokesperson says no. "Despite the speculation, there is no secret formula to our recipe. We're delighted to hear that our customers enjoy drinking our Coca-Cola," they told the New York Post.

Still, they do have a few tricks up their sleeve to ensure their Coke tastes just like when you open a bottle at home — sometimes even better — and we finally know what those tricks are. 

According to The New York Times, the difference starts in the delivery of the product. While all other restaurants receive their syrup in bags, that's not good enough for the Golden Arches. They get their Coke syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks, ensuring it stays fresh until it's ready to serve. If you've never been served a flat Coke from McDonald's, that's why. 

McDonald's also strictly adheres to the guidelines set by Coke when it comes to serving the bubbly beverage, according to the McDonald's website, and the most important of those is temperature. Both the syrup and the water are pre-chilled before they enter the fountain, and they go to great lengths to make sure it stays cold. A spokesperson for McDonald's explained to the New York Post that the liquids are chilled to temperatures just above freezing, and are circulated from the refrigeration unit in the back of the restaurant to all of the serving stations up front using insulated tubing. That's why your Coke is always ice cold — even if it hasn't been on ice very long.

But that's only the beginning of what McDonald's does to make sure their Coke is the best around. Not just any water will do when it comes time to mix up that precious concoction. They filter their water first, to make sure it meets the "gold standard." 

Some frugal McDonald's customers may think they can cheat the system and order Coke without ice, but that's not the way to go. Sure, you're getting more Coke that way, but it won't taste as good. Not only does it need that ice to remain at the perfect, frosty temperature, but the syrup to water ratio is specially formulated to allow for some ice melt. So no need to chug that Coke — it'll achieve taste perfection if you enjoy it slowly. 

And finally, even the straw comes into play when it comes to achieving the best tasting Coke on the planet. Have you ever noticed that the straws from McDonald's are wider than the average straw? That's by design — and it's not so you can get to the bottom of your beverage even faster. McDonald's says they designed an extra-wide straw so that "so all that Coke taste can hit all your tastebuds." And that it does!