Why Coke Tastes Better at McDonald's

This is a prime example of why I’m addicted to JRE, 2 grown men probably high asf having a serious conversation about why McDonalds coke tastes better🤣

As a former Coke employee, the syrup in the steel tank is still concentrated. The carbonated water is added at the restaurant as it passes through the fountain machine. The employees can adjust how much syrup is added to the carbonated water so it can be stronger or weaker if the staff wants it to be.

I knew a coke executive and asked why McDonald’s Coke tasted so good.He said the ratio of syrup is locked in but other than that, there wasn’t anything specific to their formula. He said many restaurants water down their coke so they can increase their profit per glass, but otherwise could have their coke just as good as McDonalds coke. Was very interesting to hear it right from him as I would have sworn it was a special formula…

I worked for McDonalds in Germany. We didn’t have any sort of stainless steel containers. We got the same cardboard boxes with plastic bags full of syrup. The syrup then gets mixed with water at the outlet. That being said you CAN very much taste the difference between a soft drink from a PET bottle and from a glass bottle. Same would go for stainless steel I believe.

I also used to be a service tech for Coca-Cola. Yes, the syrup is in Steel containers, but they have a machine in the back called a multiplex. This Chills the syrup lines before it ever goes into the fountain. That makes that coca cola taste so good :) It has less to do with the drink machine and the syrup/water ratio.

I worked at coke at a repair person for a couple years. The syrup is stored in the stainless tanks for quantity more than for “flavor” it comes in a truck tank and hooks up to a hose like a water truck or gas transport truck. The “key” I believe is almost every McDonald’s has a reverse osmosis water system for the water that makes a massive difference and probably most importantly of the 30 McDonald’s I had to service they were one of the few places that consistently cleaned their machines

If you buy it in plastic bottles, the acid leaches bitter compounds in the plastic and affects the flavour. Glass bottle coke tastes better too

the "overcaffinated sperm" at the end got me good lmfao🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Worked for a local coke company for 5 years. All those things ABSOLUTELY make a difference. Stores would pay us big bucks just to come do their soda machines, because we would set and control the temperature and rotation of the drinks so that they were always fresh and colder, which typically saw around a 10% faster growth in sales compared to a regular machine in a good region.

Definitely the water. Worked for coke for years. McDonald's water filtration system is amazing. Took classes on McDonald's fountain systems through coke. Yes, classes just for McDonald's. The tanks are primarily for bulk. Employees would change bibs (bag in a box) non stop because they sell so much coke. Downed water systems to Replace filters @ McDonald's for that crisp tasting soda. No other food chain I serviced for coke came close to having a filtration system close to McDonald's. I need something similar @ home.

I've worked at a few McDonalds and this is a lie. All the drinks come in plastic bags covered by a box

I used to be a service tech and installer for Coca Cola. There is a formula this much water this much syrup this much ice. I don’t remember the exact ratio. A lot of places want you to cut the syrup back to get more drinks out of the syrup. Part of the reason McDonald’s coke taste better is because of the stainless tanks but also there is a cleaning procedure that should be done every shift and a more intense procedure once a month. If you go to a place that has a fountain unit and it taste musty, it needs cleaned. The little cup shaped nozzle is where everything mixes, grab ahold of that 1/4 turn left it comes off and there is another piece inside there. Those pieces are supposed to be cleaned every day. The piece inside SHOULD be white. Should!!

I used to be a Coca Cola service tech. McDonald's Coke syrup is brought in to a 70 gallon tank and was made maybe a few weeks ago, it uses filtered water, up to 8 filters, a multiplex system that uses cold cold water. It also uses 90 psi of carbonation, not 105psi like most places.

As far as the In-N-Out secret menu goes, i was introduced to and still get to this day every time I order a meal, is a lemon-up for my beverage (Which is half pink lemonade/ half 7up) and I remember one time my grandma was gonna make a In-N-Out trip and took down everyone’s order, when I said that to her, she did a double take, like “What ? What’s a lemon-up ?” I started laughing and told her “Just say it, they’ll know what you’re talking about” Sure enough when she got back home she was so shocked and surprised “I didn’t even know that was a thing”😂 I love my grandma

The roll is called a bun rather than bread due to the sugar content. A quarter pounder has pickles so it doesn't get classed as confectionery.

I work at McDonald’s as a grill opener and I can 100% guarantee you that the Bun is what you need to worry about. Smells unbelievably sweet, and they never mold. They only get hard when they expire which is not normal at all. It’s like a pastry item essentially and it’s downright concerning. Well over half of the calories of a McDonald’s cheeseburger is just the bun alone.

I can confirm (at least here in Canada) that when I deliver Coke syrup to the distribution company that supplies McDonald's (Martin Brower here locally in Winnipeg) they get the exact same syrup everyone else does. What happens to our product once it gets to the store is between our cooler shop techs and McDonald's. So any difference is created at the restaurant, not specially made for them by Coca-Cola.

Joe Rogan when I’m watching alone: *deep serious conversation* Joe Rogan when somebody walks in: 2:02

most bread manufacters can sub sugar in place of flour now up to a certain point to save on costs.. a lot of grocery stores do it.

the thing with mcdonalds too is that there's high-fructose corn syrup in the ketchup and coke. I've been avoiding sugar except for just a bit here and there.. but if you've gotten used to not having much sugar and then get a big dose of hfcs in like a coke.. it will make you feel terrible afterwards. people don't notice how much it messes with your blood-sugar because they're used to it here in the USA

I worked for a big beverage company. The cost of the syrup is insane... back when i was there, a drum was valued at something like $20k. It makes sense that most places that sell you a soda are going to dial back the amount of syrup and you get a watered down drink. McDonalds buys so much syrup, they probably get a huge discount and can afford to make it to Coke's spec, and it is probably required as part of the deals they get.

I think it’s cotton seed oil. But yes any seed oils heated you need to add omegas 3 ,6 and 9 to balance out always eat fruit oils instead.. like olive.. or avocado when cooking. Also Joe, - straight up you have to try Del Taco’s Double Del Cheese burger if you like In and out.. it’s legit.

Dont forget its also very HEALTHY for you. Sugar gives you energy and helps your body recoup.

Here in Denmark, we got all the reglular McDonalds, but McDonalds is also doing a collaboration with a few different gourmet chefs (some even got michelin stars), where they make their take on a gourmet burger/fries. 10% more expensive but so much better. They go under the name "homestyle Mcdonalds burger" if anyone wanna have look :)

I worked at McDonald's for 2 years during the 80's, by the end of my time I knew about every thing. The stainless steel tank is a thing, but also; depending on the crew, there is a book that lists every set-up and maintenance task for a McDonald's. One of the tasks is calibrating the soda fountains, at least back then, you'd get in there with a little precision screwdriver and a special measuring cup to set the syrup level. A perfectly set soda fountain at McDonald's makes a huge difference.

I was in the restaurant business and used the stainless tanks from Coke and can say it is so much better than the stuff in the plastic bag! Big Difference!

"Jamie, pull up the video of a bear drinking mcdonalds coca cola"

I think it’s the carbonation level. Try a can of seltzer water then try carbonated water from a soda machine. More bubbly and larger bubbles.

Joe - “I don’t eat McDonald’s but if I did, I’d get a filet o fish.” Also Joe - “I was there last month and got a quarter pounder.”

The difference is that you can set the pressure for the syrup. If you have a even a slightly higher pressure set for the syrup, you get more of the syrup per volume of seltzer water which definitely makes it taste better. The manager used to yell at me for doing it when I worked at McDonald’s because you go through the syrup faster. It makes Sprite taste amazing too.

A cold soda from a regular 12oz can definitely tastes 100% better than from a plastic bottle. The carbonation is crisper, and it's more refreshing.

Same as drinking beer from glass vs aluminum can

It makes sense, I used to be a soda addict and Soda has different flavor depending on where and what it comes in, INCLUDING Bottled vs canned, my favorite including now is canned Pepsi, the way the chemicals and ingredients interact make it have a metallic tinge to it compared to the bottle.

Joe, finding the quarter pounder suite is legit. When I finally started taking care of my diabetes I noticed bread was sweet, pecans were sweet, and juice was unbearably. Sweet. Shows you how much our palates have adjusted to the excess amount of sugar in the food that we eat.

It's not a different formula XD - it's just higher syrup concentration. You can buy it for your restaurant.

McDonald's usually does NOT get a shipment in via metal containers. Known this across SEVERAL states. To be honest, it's just a bag set at a ratio, and adjusted to taste.

When I worked at a restaurant, we used to tweak the dispenser to produce more syrup. Tastes like McDonalds today. Other places tweak the syrup to limit the amount of syrup to save money. Then it gets watered down by the ice on top of it.

"You're not supposed to have that much sunflower oil at one time." Me with a bag of bbq sunflower seeds 😮

Listening to this while driving to mcdonald's

Dude i really ordered mcdonalds while you guys were talking about it lmao😂😂

I haven't had McDonald's in a while and this made me go grab a diet coke from their drive through. It was glorious.

Former coke employee. It’s the same with sprite. There’s a specific ratio of how much carbonation, water and syrup is what formulates it in cans bottles etc. the difference is possibly using the stainless steel container along with using more carbonation in some instances to save more of the syrup and in turn giving you more of a bite. You’re essentially getting freshly made beverages when it comes to sodas at McDonald’s. If you ever serviced a freestyle machine you’ll know the difference. When they’re getting low there’s more of a bite until you hit the sweet spot and then eventually it just tastes like bad seltzer. Worked at the world of Coca Cola and Coca Cola corporate for around 5 years in Atlanta.

That's so true, I used to think that it in my head that it's test better in Mcdonalds.

"jamie, pull up that video of the grizzly bear wrestling the quarter pounder"

I haven't had a 1/4 pounder in ages...but I remember the raw onions being a key ingredient. That's definitely giving some of that sweetness.

The In-n-Out cheeseburger has 10g of sugar as well.

The mcgangbang was a staple of my drunken 20's. Many 1am trips to the dining room lol

they use a mix of vegetable and sunflower, you don't need to use all sunflower to get most of the flavor from it, if you deep fry something at home with half sunflower oil and half something neutral you will realize how much it smells like mcdonalds.

Had a friend in college who insisted on McDonald's Coke tasting better than anyone else's. I used to laugh at her, but I found out she was absolutely correct.

The concentrated syrup is so sweet and filled with sugar. I grew up with my father owning two ice cream stores which had soda fountains. You can dial in how much of the carbonated water and how much of the syrup gets mixed. We used to have to make sure that the machines dispensing it are calibrated properly. All you are tasting is more sugar.

The fish is the healthiest thing you can eat in mcdonald's It is all processed on the boat that catch it. Clean it bread it, flash freeze it, and package it all on the ship. It's some of the freshest fish you can get

As a former high ranking Coke employee, the real reason for why the coke taste better at McDonalds is because they get the original coke recipe which contains a natural product extracted from the leaves of Erythroxylon coca Lam (coca leaves) & scopolamine. I was fired for inhaling these products at work everyday.

Part of my family owns food trailers and when I was young we had the canisters of syrup but the distributors made them change over to the bag in a box. The key is to have clean cold lines and dispenser that is calibrated for the correct mixture.

I worked as a manager when I was a young punk for a few different fast/quick service restaurants which all sold Coke. All of them had and followed proper cleaning procedures for the soda fountains. They all had a calibration system which was essentially a nozzle that would split the syrup and carbonated water at the fountain into a measuring cup to check the ratios. The differences I could see from what Joe was reading are, the syrup came in plastic liners housed in a sturdy cardboard box rather than steel cans. None of the calibration seemed to account for melting ice, or not that I could remember. That really jumped out at me and makes a lot of sense.

IDK I worked at a small fried restaurant chain in Winnipeg in the 90's and at A&W around the same time. Both got fountain soda in tanks.

Filet o fish is probably the purest item at McDonald's.

i love how joe can go from a very serious conversations in a episode, to talking about mcdonald's coke in a different episode, and also find a way to mention bears in every other episode,

It's to do with coming from the tanks, alcohol for example can be exactly the same but out of a bottle is always better than out of a can

2:05 Every guy needs to hear this from a really good party girl at least once in their lives.

Work at McD's as a manager in the late 70's. Water is filtered and chilled before dispensing. Nosels are calibrated for water to syrup ratio weekly. Straws are wider but not for the soda but to make shakes easier to drink. I always keep extra McD straws in my car if I get a shake at a different restaurant 😂

Coke also tastes way better in the glass bottles than a can or plastic bottle, the difference in taste is huge.

This is true! I have noticed this also here in Europe.

So stoned, sounds like a conversation I've had a thousand times.

There's actually dozens of different blends of bottled/canned coke depending on the region. There's at least half a dozen throughout the US with varying sweetness and carbonation etc tailored over the years to the preferred taste of the locals.

During the mid 70's, I worked in a NBA basketball arena for a food service company. All the soft drinks including Coke came in stainless steel tanks, which were then hooked to the dispensers. The use now of plastic bags to store the mixtures must be something from the recent couple of decades.

This is the clip you cut and picked? Must’ve been a bang up episode

Tom is so right! I don’t drink much soda but when I do it’s a coke from McDonald’s. Nothing like it!

The "mexican coke" that comes in glass bottles is made with cane sugar. It is the best!!!

yooo this conversation is KILLLINGGG me 🤣🤣🤣

I literally wonder every time why that shit tastes like liquified gold

Wendy's has some good burgers also can't forget the baconator

I agree. I've done lines in the bathroom at Burger King, Wendy's, etc. and the clean bathroom countertops at McDonalds makes the Coke sooooo much better.

It's the filtered water, thats what makes it so good all they need to do to make it better is make it dispense syrup with the ice so when it melts it will be stronger orrrr put syrup in the ice cubes so whn it melts its not watered down

Even in Sweden, the coke at mcdonalds is the best. But also the crushed ice adds to it

This is something my friends and I have talked about since we were kids, over 30+ years now., and still do if it comes up. Or whenever anyone goes to McDonalds which is not often. Its amazing this is a topic on a show with audience of millions across the country, or worldwide.

There is a machine called a Multiplex. It has a large ice bath, all the soda syrup runs through coils in this ice bath. The carbonators to make carbonated water are submerged in this ice bath as well. Colder water absorbs more CO2. This delivers a cold syrup and carbonated water at the soda machine where it mixes when it comes out the valve. The stainless steel tanks for Coke are called bulk syrup tanks that are permanent vessels 8n the restaurant, used only because they sell so much coke. The delivery truck for food also refills these bulk Coke tanks.

The McGangbang was the meal of my high school years. It’s a McChicken stuffed in the middle of a McDouble. Still pretty popular where I live.

The unwritten thing no one ever talked about for years 👌🏽✊🏾

You can “brix” the fountain unit, which means adjusting the syrup to carbonated water ratio to make it sweeter/stronger.

God I've known about this forever as both a coca cola addict and a former chef/restaurant manager. There are 100% places where, if the soda is off, I guarantee it's because their settings are off on their fountain machine for the ratio of syrup to carbonated water. It's also true that chilling both the syrup and the water make a big difference in how the Coke tastes and some places, depending on the quality of their distributors etc. even get expired syrup, which tastes off but won't kill you. Idk if anyone has ever accidentally grabbed an expired bottle of coca cola but the shitty gas stations in the poor area I grew up in always sold expired bottles and I used to think I just didn't like Coke until I started getting fresh bottles more consistently. It tastes awful, like almost skunky a little bit.

The coke at mds is proprietary formulated and put into specific stainless steel containers and the containers are dedicated to only coke from specific bottling facilities of the coca cola industry. It has been this way for decades and will continue. Best coke will always come from mds! If only mds were to supply thier ice cream machines and end that dark side of mds were it would end that ice cream dilemma!

First off, my moms restaurant has a machine and it was delivered in stainless steel. It’s just slightly more syrup.

I actually heard from a high-school chemistry teacher (this was over a decade ago) who mentioned working a job checking the filters on the soda fountains in various establishments that one of the reasons McDonald's has good Coca-Cola is that they generally keep their filters clean and their fountains in good operating condition (essentially the opposite of their ice cream machines). It's amazing how many factors affect the quality of a product that appears so "simple", but perhaps this is just another example of all the things we have come to take for granted as a society.

My grandpa once visited a factory that made Mcdonald's bun in Japan decades ago. The secret to why their buns are so soft is because they put a lot of sugar in it.

I find those 330ml glas bottles the best tasting, on vacation in Florida I could taste chlorine in the soda.

Dr. Pepper from Sonic is top tier

I worked at a meat factory that makes fast food snacks like hamburger patties (also some for McDonald's in my country like the "McKroket") and all kinds of other meat snacks that you can grill or deep fry. A lot of these items you can buy at fast food chains/restaurants and also at the local grocery store for the normal consumer. I was surprised to learn that the recipes for these same items were actually different for the local grocery store. They get a lesser quality version than what the fast food chains and restaurants will get.

Joe might not be paid by McDonald’s, but we know that Tom has been heavily sponsored by them!

I really don’t drink pop at all but as soon as they mentioned this I instantly thought THEYRE RIGHT. The few times I’ve had coke from McDonald’s I actually enjoy it compared to any other time I’ve drank it

Haven't watched any JRE this year. Really glad to see that Tom is taking care of himself. He looks good

When you have a restaurant, you can design your flavor however you would like. They typically decide how much ice they plan to use her beverage size. Once you establish that, you can decide on the mixture of your soda. I personally don't like ice in my drinks. So I use a weaker mixture for my soda. That is designed with little to no ice. If you want to use a lot of ice (to save money) you design a stronger mixture. Then when the ice dilutes it, it tastes better.

TheMcGangBang - no way LMAO

I know I know my dad used to work fast food and he told me what I always expected that they just throw water in and then there's basically a flavoring bag they ad to it and then the machine ads all the carbonation as it comes out and from there it's soda that why you see clear and color when you get a fountain soda

There's a lot of different little things that they do, and that's the attention to detail that made McDonald's an empire. They're an incredibly consistent business with consistent restaurants.

So… one of the most interesting things I experienced when going Keto was when I stopped Keto I had a huge taste sensitivity to sugar! Bread was sooooo sweet, nuts like pecans tasted sweet, and fruit was almost too sweet. I remember my first sip of a soda afterwards and it had no flavor just tasted like sugar. I like going Keto for short periods of time just because it keeps me from sliding back into having too much sugar on a regular basis.

I use to work at McDonald’s and there is an allotted time that the food can be served. It’s so close to expiration you can literally watch it expire if not sold minutes before alloyed time frames.

i work at mcdonald’s and the coke tanks i rarely see them change but might be cause i work afternoon idk but the diet coke comes in the bags

I worked at a McDonald's in the early 2000's. When they say that they filter the water, they don't mean they have one filter at the beginning of the water supply. There was a wall at my McDonald's that had something like 7 different filters before it got to the soda machines. There was nothing in that water by the time it turned into coke.

McDonalds never knows that the sprite can is empty, and they are just serving corbonated water until you tell them.

I worked at McDonald’s and it’s literally a bag inside of a box 🤣