Gone are the days of free refills and sneaking soda in a water cup. Fast-food companies are starting to crack down, but some say their tactics might be too extreme.
Unless you’re a saint, nearly everyone has asked for a water cup at a fast-food restaurant and ended up getting soda or juice instead, knowing that the employees weren’t paying attention.
Sometimes, the urge comes from wanting to get one over on a huge corporation. Other times, you just might not want to pay the extra $2 to $6. On some occasions, it’s a split-second decision when you’re hovering over the water and suddenly get a craving for syrupy, sweet soda.
On the more rule-abiding side of things, you may have bought a drink but gone back for a refill, assuming refills are free. That’s the general assumption at places where soda is self-serve.
Well, this pizza chain is trying to limit all of that and has found a way to regulate customers’ beverages. But at what cost to the customer experience?
Blaze Pizza customer call out
In a viral TikTok, user Aly (@mrsalyb) shared a surprising experience she had at Blaze Pizza. Blaze Pizza is a pizza chain known for its fresh ingredients and open-flame oven. The TikTok has nearly 1 million views.
She got a soda cup, but when she went to use it, no soda would be dispensed from the machine.
And no, the machine wasn’t broken.
Each cup has a QR code on it that must be scanned to open access to the machine. Even once you can start pouring, there’s a 15-second time limit. Once that’s up, the machine pauses once again.
The 15 seconds were enough time for Aly to fill up her cup. However, she said she was “so flustered” by the countdown that she forgot to get ice.
“Count those free water cup days good bye!” Aly said in the caption.
This isn’t the first time a Blaze customer has addressed the new soda procedure. This other customer said she was caught off-guard, which made the process feel more erratic. She added that it’s become “obnoxious” that theft prevention is now in every part of the customer experience.
Why is the machine there?
Not even all Blaze Pizzas are doing this.
Blaze Pizza stated that, to its knowledge, only one of its franchises has this machine that so closely regulates customers’ soft drinks. And it has no plan to roll it out to locations nationwide, according to the U.S. Sun.
“While Blaze Pizza does not currently have a corporate initiative to roll out QR drink dispensers across all locations, we encourage franchisees to test new technologies that they believe will best serve their local communities,” a spokesperson told the U.S. Sun.
It added that this particular location was having difficulties with customers bringing in their own cups and containers and loading them up at the soda station without paying.
The machine is supposed to help limit unpurchased pours so that it isn’t losing too much profit and can maintain fair pricing for paying customers.
“Blaze Pizza supports our franchisees’ autonomy and is continuously monitoring the results of these technology trials to ensure they align with our brand values and customer expectations,” the spokesperson said.
Will others places implement the soda timers?
So far, it doesn’t seem this is a widespread tactic to control beverage consumption. But you never know what’s on the horizon as fast-food restaurants continue to automate systems and try to maximize profit.
Apparently, theme parks Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort have been using these QR codes for a while to track refills and customize drink mixtures, the U.S. Sun reported.
One user shared that a Pepsi dispenser at Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania goes so far as to ration out how many ounces you can get from the machine.
Commenters react
“The countdown will give me anxiety,” the top comment read.
“When people ask me for water cups and get soda i don’t care bc it’s not that deep bro,” a restaurant worker said.
“These companies be doing too much,” another said.
@mrsalyb count those free water cup days good bye!
♬ original sound – alyb1030
The Daily Dot reached out to Aly for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to Blaze Pizza via email.
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