As a kid, I somehow got it into my head that the proper way to enjoy a Blizzard from Dairy Queen was to try and drink it like a milkshake. Doing this made the straw collapse in on itself and when anything did get through, it was — if course — melted and less than satisfying.
However, the fact that this even kind of worked compelled me to try it multiple times until I finally started using the spoon they provided. I was a determined child, if not a very practical one.
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So it hardly came as a surprise to me when people got a similar impression from the unusually-shaped spoons that McDonald’s uses for their McFlurries. And as far as we can tell from a new promotion, it’s not news to them either.
On April 27, McDonald’s announced a giveaway to promote the launch of their new caramel brownie McFlurry.
According to People , the product hits their locations on May 3 but folks will be able to get one for free the following day.
That is, they will if they’ve ever thought the spoon with the square hole in the handle was supposed to be a straw. And they’re aware that this describes pretty much everybody.
Although a representative from McDonald’s said they can’t change the hollow spoon design, they did want to “help ease the sting of your facepalm upon figuring out how to use it.”
And so, those who are interested can get their freebie through the McDonald’s app with no purchase necessary on May 4 or get one included in a minimum $15 Uber Eats order between May 3 and May 9.
So why are the spoons shaped like this anyway?
Well, as a representative from McDonald’s told Food & Wine , it’s a part of the mixing process that goes into making a McFlurry, which is why they can’t change it.
They went on to explain that after an employee adds the ice cream and the toppings to the McFlurry, they attach the hollow end of the spoon to a machine like the one this woman is using that mixes the toppings.
Since the part that actually touches the ice cream is eventually included with it, this allows McDonald’s workers to mix McFlurries without having to clean the machine after every use.
This means that the fact that it looks like it can be used as a straw is purely coincidental.
As the representative said, “The McFlurry spoon was invented by an employee at one of McDonald’s suppliers, Flurry International, in 1995. Since then, the McFlurry spoon design has been an iconic part of the dessert’s experience!”
Furthermore, they also had an explantion for why they have no plans to open up the front and make it a usable straw.
According to Food & Wine , this decision mostly has to do with the larger toppings that customers can get in some McFlurries. Since those aren’t intended to be sucked through a straw, they could pose a choking hazard if consumed that way.
Besides, if my misadventures in trying to drink Dairy Queen’s Blizzards as a kid taught me anything, it’s that ice cream products like these are way too thick to comfortably drink.
Not everything can be a milkshake, unfortunately.
h/t: Food & Wine
