A tap-water fee at McDonald’s? Some franchises are lovin’ it

by Charlie Leocha on October 2, 2009

mcdonalds
Call it nickel-and-dining: McDonald’s — an American institution, a company that controls its product down to the gram and number of seconds french fries sizzle — has succumbed to the world of added fees. Now it allows its tightly-controlled franchisees to charge for water, at Chicago O’Hare no less, McDonald’s hometown airport.

When I arrived early one morning last week in Chicago, I was surprised when the server at McDonald’s told me that water with my Egg McMuffin would have an additional cost.

McDonald’s asked me for 11¢ for a cup of water.

Now, this isn’t going to break my bank, but on the other hand, for one of the richest companies and some of the richest McDonald franchisees on the planet to be charging 11¢ for water seems penny wise and pound foolish. They must be taking marketing ideas from the airlines.

McDonald’s charged something like 40¢ for last April in Boston. I refused the water, got a refund and called McDonald’s HQ in Chicago. Later, the Boston restaurant sent me a nice letter apologizing for the charge and has not charged for water since. I check whenever I pass through Boston’s airport.

I thought it was a McDonald’s policy not to charge for water. However, this time, when I called McDonald’s HQ PR, I received this response.

McDonald’s company owned restaurants do not have a policy regarding charging for water. The majority of McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S. are independently owned and operated by franchisees – including those in O’Hare
Airport. As such, each franchisee determines pricing for his/her individual restaurant.

This is an astounding email to come from the highest levels of the McDonald’s corporation. I actually think it is flat-out wrong. I find it hard to believe, “…each franchisee determines pricing for his/her individual restaurant.” However, I have been now been assured on a followup phone call, that it “against the law” for McDonald’s to set prices.

Isn’t one of the things that keeps Americans coming back to McDonald’s their consistency? You always know you can find McDonald’s fare at similar prices across the U.S.A. There are normally clean, free bathrooms. The burgers, Chicken McNuggets and french fries are consistent. Basically, you know what you’re getting.

What are the McDonald’s folk doing risking that reputation of consistency for an 11¢ plastic cup of tap water?

It appears that McDonald’s corporate executives with their franchisees are operating in the same realm as DOT and the airlines. Neither has any control over those they are supposedly regulating.

Major airlines just announced a “holiday fee” that falls outside of the control of DOT. Mickey D’s franchisees are adding water fees, that are outside the control of their corporate executives.

Perhaps McDonald franchisees will slap on a holiday surcharge for meals served over Thanksgiving and Christmas? You know, they normally have to pay personnel extra to work during the holidays? I guess that would be more defensible than charging for tap water. According to the corporate spokesperson, it’s up to the franchisees.

What’s next? Pay toilets?

Obviously, free tap water is a pet peeve of mine at fast food joints (or any restaurant). It is just one fee too far. It is bad enough when we have to deal with the airlines and their fees. However, in many cases we are a captive audience and have few alternatives.

At O’Hare there are lots of alternatives to McDonald’s. I had a great plate of Chinese food at Manchu Wok. It was delicious, affordable and probably healthier than a Big N’ Tasty burger. And the water was complimentary.

Do you have any pet peeves dealing with fast food?

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Tagged as: airlines, airports, DOT, fees, franchisees, mcDonalds

  • Jeff Linder

    Having run a convenience store before, I see both sides of the issue. We started charging for cups for a few reasons, one of which is that the cup is the actual most expensive component of a beverage (that tap water costs the restaurant around .15 on average, If 100 or more customers ask for water in a day, that can add up (not unreasonable in a large airport). On the flip side, we NEVER charged if you bought something else, I can’t see a logic behind that one at all.

  • OTC

    I can see why they’re doing this at O’Hare.

    To start beverages are the big money maker on the menu, the profit margin on a soda is huge, so they want you to buy a drink so they make more money.

    Second, how many people per day would buy an order of fries or a hamburger and ask for 2,3, or more cups of water? I’d bet a lot of them and that would add up fast.

    If you don’t like the way they price thing go to another store, no need to berate them, vote with your wallet.

  • Amy

    Free water is always available at the water fountain near the restroom.

    The cost of paper and plastic supplies for a restaurant can be astoundingly high. It all adds up!

  • DCTA

    Though it is many years ago (1982), I ran a fast food outlet and we charged $0.02 for a cup of water back then – UNLESS someone was buying food as well. On top of the cost of the cup, our water bill was very, very high – all that cleaning, you know – not to mention the cost (water, electricity) of making all that ice….. The margin is very small in fast food on everything except sodas and coffee.

  • John M

    Franchises have always been able to set their own prices for whatever they are selling. If you notice on all their ads it says “At Participating Locations”. That disclaimer means that it is not mandated to the franchises to participate. If I go to the Mickey D’s nearest my house, their Hot and Spicy Chicken Sandwich is $1.29 while at the location nearest my office it is $1.00 and is on their Dollar Menu.

    As OTC points out the cup is the most expensive aspect of a drink and I suspect that if you brought your own cup, they wouldn’t charge you to fill it with water.

  • Kip E

    “Perhaps McDonald franchisees will slap on a holiday surcharge for meals served over Thanksgiving and Christmas?”

    Disneyworld already does this… Almost all food is more expensive during high attendance times of the year. Christmas, Easter, etc…

  • Bill

    My pet peeve is that miniscule, thimble-sized cup that McDonald’s gives you for water. Do they think I’m going to ask for water and then steal the soda? Are water drinkers any less thirsty than anyone else? When I’ve asked for a larger cup, I got that “huh?” stare (vacant eyes, mouth hanging open) that McDonald’s employees are so famous for when you ask for anything outside of the ordinary. I just make six or seven trips back to the fountain for more water. Maybe I should just bring my own cup.

  • Doug

    “What’s next? Pay toilets?”

    Actually, already here in many places. I dropped by a Burger King just outside of LAX near the car rentals and the washrooms had a pay door to enter. Now THATS the business to be in. Charge the customers to fill up, then charge them to get rid of it :)

  • sue

    I think its penny-wise and pound-foolish for McDonald’s to charge for water, though its interesting that this seems to be happening at airport locations, where security rules make water within the security zone a commodity. When I worked concessions at a movie theater I learned that they inventoried soda sales through the number of cups (at least at the theater I worked, which was part of a large chain), which makes sense when you realize there’s no real way to measure the syrup usage. So, I don’t generally give people a rough time about not giving me a cup, but I think that smart business owners would stock cups for this purpose – which it seems they do wherever poster Bill was at – they just stock really small, and presumably cheap cups.

  • jlawrence01

    1) The McDonalds stores at O’Hare are some of the worst in the chain. In general, you can expect to be shortchanged or wrong changed and receive surly attitudes.

    2) Each franchisee makes the decision of what to charge. What bothers me is that the O’Hare Mcdonald’s AND THOSE NEARBY ***NEVER**** offer the specials that are offered on the ads that are run in the media buys in Chicagoland.

  • Henry

    I am familiar with that McDonald’s as I fly UA regularly through ORD.

    This is a bad business decision. The cost of cups is part of the cost of doing business. That they would do this on top of the higher-than-street level pricing they charge at that location is simply outrageous.

    Thank you for alerting us about this. Next time I am flying through ORD and want to buy something to eat at ORD I will avoid McDonald’s and seek another restaurant.

  • Heather

    Wrt to Doug’s mention of pay toliets at a Burger King, the pay toliets are ILLEGAL and should be reported!

    By LAW, any food establishment that has X number of seats, must provide free toliets.

    And ALSO, I’ve seen a number of restaurants who LOCK/CLAIM THEIR BA’s ARE OUT OF ORDER.

    I had a to use such a restroom one time, who we were patronizing, and when I indicated there was a sign on the door, they said…’it’s ok, go ahead and use it’. The bathroom was in perfect functioning order.

    I’ve also seen people come into non-fast food restaurants (even had a fast food cup in their hand!) looking to use a bathroom, only to find it locked AND then had the nerve to ask the employees about getting into their restrooms! Needless to say, they didn’t get to use it.

  • MeanMeosh

    Uh, this is something new? I’ve been seeing charges for water at fast food restaurants for at least the last 20 years, usually ranging from a nickel to a quarter. Not every location has one, and it seems to be more prevalent at “express” locations such as those found in downtown food courts, but it’s been going on for a long time. I don’t really see the problem as long as the charge is prominently disclosed, though it does seem silly to levy the charge if you’re already buying something else.

    As for the idea that prices are consistent at chain restaurants – again, I don’t think it’s news to anyone that prices differ from location to location. McDonald’s prices can and do vary, even within the same city (and as a previous poster mentioned, the fine print in their ads does say “prices and participation may vary”). The airport and downtown food court locations tend to be the most expensive, though I’ve also found that locations right off the interstate tend to charge more than locations in town, even if they’re only a couple of miles away.

  • Bill

    I can understand the need to charge for water cups at busy airport locations. They probably realized how much the cups were costing them and had to levy a charge.

    As long as it is disclosed, it should be fine. Businesses charge money for things. That’s what they do. I generally buy a high margin drink anyway, the water cups are too small for me.

  • http://www.tripso.com/author/leocha Charlie Leocha

    I, too, have been charged for water or for the water cup at many places, but not at McDonald’s. Back in April when I was charged for water in Boston, I called McDonald’s and almost immediately the PR folk were back to me announcing that it was not the policy of McDonald’s to charge for water. They then sent me a handful of free sandwich coupons.

    This time, I received a note telling me that they have no control over their franchisees. That was a major change for the largest fast-food chain in America.

    It seems like a fee to far. The water is basically free for them and the small cup they give you is easily absorbed in the profit from the sandwich I was buying. I would understand it if I was only asking for free water and then walking away.

  • Nobody

    Free tap water? I thought all food venues at airports charged $2+ for bottled water.
    I know what’s behind this. Food peddelers getting back at airports, like STL, where water fountains are filthy and dribble water and yet charge outrageous rent that goes to the corrupt government and their cronies.

    Here lies the frequent flyer
    H1N1, common flu, SARS and athlete’s feet
    Attacked simultaneously at the direction of TSA
    At the never-cleaned path through securitee
    RIP
    Nobody was faster

  • Susan

    I have no problem with paying a small charge for water, as long as it’s disclosed. As a matter of fact, for a long time, I’ve been asking for a regular sized cup with ice, and offering to pay a cup charge. Sometimes they do charge me, and that’s fine.

    As many have noted, the cup and ice make up most of the cost. Actually, really, getting the water even at a small charge is a deal. If logic came into play in soda pricing (and it doesn’t), they could charge $1.19, the price for soda, minus 5 cents or so for the syrup….

  • Randytx

    Actually, McDonald’s does charge to use their restrooms in Budapest, Hungary if you don’t purchase anything. I was there a few weeks ago and there was a woman at the bottom of the stairs leading tot he restrooms with a card table set up. She would ask for your receipt upstairs from the counter (yes, this is the Mickey D’s bathroom) to let you go in for free…..no receipt, you had to pay x-amount of Forints.

  • http://www.ttrn.com Roy Lowey

    For many years pay toilets were common in airports and public places. Big problem in foreign airports, especially if you were in a hurry without local coins and not thin enough to do the Limbo under the door….

  • The Good Doctor

    Hey Charlie – how come you didn’t share those free sandwich coupons with the rest of us?!? :-)

  • WPM

    I think 11 cents is fair. Not sure why everyone thinks they are entitled to free stuff all the time. It’s business…

  • http://N/A Ralph Brewster

    Yep…it’s just business…and I’m just a customer…and it’s just my patronage…which they clearly don’t value. I first encountered the “McD’s fee-for agua” last week. I told them to keep the water and adjust my bill, which they did. I won’t be returning to that location, or any location of any restaurant that tries to charge me for water. They have the right to try to charge me, and I have the right to ensure my family does not patronize individual locations who feel this charge is reasonable. Whether or not it is “fair” is a moot point, as far as I can see. Businesses need to be outcome oriented, or they can “fair” themselves into bankruptcy. Life’s not fair, business is not fair. If they make more money with this policy, they’ll do it…unless enough of us vote with our wallets. It’s completely up to the individual.

  • Charles LaMonica Jr.

    I just contacted McDonalds on this EXACT issue! I was working in their parking lot, it’s one of the few WiFi Hotspots in the area I was in. Free internet, no free water? I used the facilities, and requested water. I was not served, the teen at the register informed I requested water to the Manager behind him and she merely glanced at me, muttered something, then went back to filling orders. I waited 5 mins, there were no other immediate customers at the register. I left, and will NEVER return to one of their “restaurants” ever again, except to relieve myself (perhaps even in the proper place, whatever I feel at the time). Burger King has a superior product at a comparable price. What is the profit margin on a Bacon Cheddar Angus Large sized meal? Better yet what is the profit margin on a BK Double Whopper Meal, King sized? When I was paid a short hour later, that is what I ate and it was DELICIOUS!! Multiply that by the 40+ years I have left as a consumer. I bet you McDonalds knows.. and I informed them of this. The sick sad part is I could have come up with 11 cents, had they asked, they didn’t even do that!

  • http://players2@yahoo.com Steve

    Because of this move by McDonalds I have decided to start going to either Burger King, Wendy’s or Arby’s, and have found them to be as good or better than Mickey D’s.
    ps: Water and or cups are still free.

  • Cherylyn

    11 cents!! The Burger King here in Wilmington ,NC Tried to charge us last night 32 cents for a small paper cup for water, we informed him we didn’t want the cup and he couldn’t understand why. That is really an extreme charge. I wonder, if we bring our own paper cup that we get from Dollar Tree store( 30 for $1) What will they try to charge us then???All these fast food restaurants better wake up. The local dining restaurants have great lunch deals that cost less than the Whopper!!! Watch out.

  • Sabine

    who pays for the cup? who pays for entitled moronic bums coming in wasting employee time and resources that should be used to serve legitimate customers? go petition congress for more water fountains, you socialist scum.

  • Clown Beater

    Mc Donald’s, on the national level, needs to set rules for the franchizes water policy. It can be market-based to reflect different cost in each market, but to have water available in all cup sizes for customers trying to eat healthier.

    On their health side of the menu putting in salads and yougurst should be tap-water as a healthier cohoice to soda.

    Try tier pricing so that orders over $10 would be free water; under would be xtra large at 60 cents, large 45 cents, med 30 cents and small a dime.

    Include the pricing on the menu to avoid confusion.

    Even if it’s not a water drink, many find the fountain drinks and teas unappealing because of their ‘random flavour’ based on carbonation levels and mixing practices. When compared to buying canned product from the gas station. At the gas station I know my canned soda has the same carbonization level in Ohio as in Utah, as in Maine. I can’t say that about founatin drinks. Likewise my sweet tea; same brands usually have the same tastes and consistance accross the wide areas. Not the flat soada on the east side of town and ok in the southern side of town.

    Some times we just want something to wash the food down witha nd aren’t picky. We just don’t want to get half-way thourgh our meal and run-out of the 4oz cup of water. The 32oz water lst my whole meal and I can leave with a smile!!

    Mc Donalds needs to realize they are taking moeny away from their revenue when I have to spend less at Mc Donalds so I can go to the gas station and by my drink there.

  • joe

    Yeah I bought a few things at Mrs. Fields and I tried asking for a cup of ice water and they said they said they charge everything by cup so it would be the same price as a soda.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jp-Eddie/100000595046912 Jp Eddie

    Welcome to the recession. They charge just like you water company charges. Americans have force feed mcdonald’s their business for so many years that Mcdonalds corp thinks they can do whatever the hell they want. Don’t like it boycott them

  • Nickhudson

    I’ll bring my own.  If they get that stingy, I can also bring my own coke. I get a case of 12 for $2.50 while on sale. That makes them 20 cents per can.  

    Those fries they time aren’t so exact, they leave them in the oil cooking while that damn beeper continues to go off. They are sometimes overcooked.  

    The worst thing in McDonalds these days isn’t the 11 cents water, it is that highly noisy squealing slurpy-thing at the front registers. When it whirls, we can’t even hear the person beside us, nor less the register person. No wonder they are starting to gets orders completely wrong. 

  • Nickhudson

    Some people buy a bottle of water that is so-called spring water, which is around $2 per bottle while others (me) won’t buy 11 cent water in a cup.  They waste more money on that dripping faucet just outside the backdoor than they do giving away a cup.

  • Girlygirl_959

    Just stopped quickly by a local McDonald’s.  Picked up boys from soccer practice, running to another appointment…. just had a few dollars on me, perfect for two burgers… “May I also have cup of ice water please?”  “No.  You have to buy a water.”  $1.30 “We no longer give out cups of ice water.”  I was so insensed I couldn’t speak!  Amazing lack of vision by McDonalds.

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