Marielle Descalsota/Insider
- McDonald's US is replacing its single-use McFlurry spoons with reusable spindles and smaller spoons.
- But some workers say staff just won't clean the new reusable spindles properly.
- And that it's likely to be a headache for them.
McDonald's is scrapping its iconic McFlurry spoons in favor of reusable spindles and smaller spoons, and some workers are up in arms about it.
The burger giant's US restaurants are gradually phasing out the dual-purpose utensil.
To make a McFlurry, McDonald's staff would pour soft-serve ice cream and toppings into a cup. They then inserted the hollow plastic spoon, which got attached to a machine that mixed the topping in – both the McFlurry and spoon were then served to the customer.
But the chain's US restaurants are now transitioning to reusable spindles, which the company says are swapped out and cleaned after each McFlurry is made. The desserts will then be served with a smaller, individually wrapped black spoon, which McDonald's says "uses less plastic."
According to a photo of what appears to be a flyer for staff shared on Reddit, and the accompanying video, the new, pink spindles will generally be used once before washing, unless a customer places an order for multiple desserts of the same flavor.
The video instructs staff to place used spindles in a container and wash, rinse, and sanitize them every four hours, or when their supply of clean spindles gets down to five.
But according to some commenters on Reddit, many who say they work for the chain, it's likely to be a headache for staff and cause issues – largely because they say workers won't properly clean the reusable spindles.
"I already can see problems with this. Employees will not be trained and give the mixing spoons out. Customers complaining because we don't have the clear mixing spoons anymore. Stupid idea overall," one commenter said.
"Mcallergies," another simply said, referring to the risk of cross-contamination if the spindles aren't cleaned.
Other commenters are just confused about the look of the new spindle. "Why is it packaged like a pregnancy test?' one said.
A McDonald's worker from Canada, whose employment was verified by Insider, said that their store started using the new spindles in the summer and is facing these issues.
"Honestly the way we're supposed to use the new spindles shouldn't cause allergy risks BUT because 90% of the employees are literal children that are too lazy to change the spindle after each use, I definitely see an allergy risk factor there," the worker said.
"I see people never changing the spindle and using the same one for like 20 McFlurries," the worker said. They added that this also created a "big ice cream puddle" at the bottom of the McFlurry machines from ice cream melting off the spindle.
"I think it's a horrible idea," another McDonald's worker from a Michigan store, whose employment was verified by Insider, said.
This worker said that their manager had told them that the spindles, rather than being reusable, would be thrown out each time they had to make a different flavor of McFlurry.
Not all workers are opposed to the change, however.
"Honestly, I don't see it as a big deal," another person commenting on Reddit who told Insider they are a McDonald's worker. It's a "positive step by McDonald's to cut down on waste."
Still, "when it comes to us workers, we have to remember that we're often dealing with minimum wage jobs," the worker said.
"So, it wouldn't shock me if the spoons aren't always washed between uses," they added.
McDonald's did not respond to Insider's request for comment.