Normally when you have to say goodbye to a restaurant item, it’s to a signature food. Remember the Arch Deluxe at McDonald’s? Well we do, and it was a darn good sandwich no matter what anyone says. Rarer is the instance where you have to say goodbye to a fast food utensil. Sustainability is becoming increasingly prominent in the quest for businesses to become more environmentally friendly and McDonald’s has found a way to be more sustainable. “How” you ask? By giving the axe to the McFlurry spoon.
If you’ve never had a McFlurry, then you may be wondering what the hell we’re talking about. So, the McFlurry is a blended soft serve vanilla ice cream. What it’s blended with is up to the customer as they can pick from M&Ms and Oreos, among other things. The blending is done with a special plastic spoon that has a hollowed out handle. After blending, the spoon is then given along with the McFlurry to the customer to eat the ice cream with. Alas, the spoon will be no more.
As McDonald’s is pushing for sustainability, they’ve determined the spoon is not necessary to blend the McFlurry. Instead, a reusable spindle will be used that can be swapped out and cleaned after it blends one of the desserts. A more traditional spoon can then be used to eat the ice cream with, removing the need for more plastic utensils. The change over for this will be happening almost immediately. It’s unclear whether or not franchises will use up their remaining spoons first before switching to the spindels.
Depending on who you talk to, the McFlurry spoon could be labeled “iconic.” Even if you don’t agree with it rising to that level of prestige it’s hard to deny that it’s a noteworthy part of the dessert experience. When a utensil has the kind of heft that the McFlurry spoon has, you know you’re going to get to the bottom of that cup without your hands getting messy. It’s a good time!
So here’s to you McFlurry spoon; long may you blend in our hearts!
