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Coca Cola Freestyle Machines

Started by roadman65, February 03, 2015, 11:52:54 AM

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roadman65

I was wondering what your opinion is of the latest Coca Cola Freestyle Machines that replaced the old fountains at most Burger Kings, Wendys, and even Wawa Markets as well as Pei Wei fast food Asian.

To me they are cool to a point as you can add flavors to your beverage, however it is still too high tech as the big screen now is right there where everything is too much touch. 

Has anyone here yet experienced them in places you buy soft drinks?  If so are they better than the original fountains they replaced>
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Sheryl Crowe


1995hoo

You're referring to those touchscreen things where you tap the icons for what soda you want and then what, if any, flavor you want to add, then you press the button to dispense the beverage?

I've used them at Five Guys and Elevation Burger. They seem fine to me except when you get stuck behind someone who gets confused by options (as distinct from old people confused by new designs–they usually accept help, whereas people confused by options are just overwhelmed by not being able to select one). I have not noticed any kind of problem with the drink flavor if the person before me got something different from what I wanted. I don't go for all the weird flavors in my soda, but in principle I like the idea of these machines giving you more options for the basic soda than the traditional machines did. Stuff like Dr Pepper/Mr. Pibb isn't offered all that often at the traditional dispensers but seems routine at these new ones.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Pete from Boston

I think they're yet another way to make obesity fun. 

NE2

pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

jeffandnicole

Because I drink Coke, not Coke mixed with 37 flavors (*), I get a bit annoyed with the machines.  The touch screen can be hard to accept your touch.  Since most places only have 1, I have to wait for the person in front of me trying to figure out what they want.  If it breaks down, then there's no soda machine whatsoever.  At a traditional dispenser, two people can pour soda at once if the dispensers are on opposite ends of the machine.

My local Wawa just got the machine Friday night.  But apparently they had to shut down their entire food prep area to do it, even though the machine is relatively far removed from the food prep area. I stopped in there to get a meatball sandwich, and they only had two meatballs left (Wawa's policy is to always have meatballs available for sandwiches).  At least she gave them to me for free.

* - Install a Coke with ability to mix with rum, jack, etc, then I'll change my tune a bit! :-)

Zeffy

I haven't actually been in a fast-food establishment in like 6 years now. This is what they have now? Hmm, the only Coke I like is regular, cherry, or vanilla. I'm not sure I want to mix it with other drinks (except Sprite; that's a tasty drink).
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

halork

I've seen these now at Atlanta Bread Company and Noodles & Co, and Garbanzo's has the Pepsi version.  Horrible.  It takes everybody longer to get their drink, and there's only one spigot, so there is no hope of 2 people serving themselves at once. This tends to cause lots of people mingling with the order line, blocking the entrance or blocking aisles between tables.

txstateends

It's strange--I still have yet to be at a store or restaurant that has a Freestyle machine.  I guess I've been to enough places that have tons of selection (QT, RaceTrac, some 7-Elevens) in traditional fountains or in coolers, that I'm not missing a whole lot.

6 years, Zeffy??  That's a lot of time away...I'm guessing you're better off as far as health goes.  I need to get off the fast-food merry-go-round for the most part, myself.
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1995hoo

Quote from: Zeffy on February 03, 2015, 12:50:56 PM
I haven't actually been in a fast-food establishment in like 6 years now. This is what they have now? Hmm, the only Coke I like is regular, cherry, or vanilla. I'm not sure I want to mix it with other drinks (except Sprite; that's a tasty drink).

I don't think the machines let you mix different sodas–like, say, half Coke and half Sprite–unless you stop filling your cup and then start over with the other. Rather, the way it works is you first select the basic soda (say, regular Coke) and then it offers you a choice of regular Coke or Coke mixed with various flavors like cherry or vanilla and probably some others (I don't normally drink regular Coke, so I don't know what the range is). For Diet Coke it probably offers lime, cherry, and some others. So the flavor is predetermined, so to speak, and if you want to depart from their flavor menu and mix different sodas, you have to do it via essentially the old-fashioned way, which would take longer on this sort of machine due to having to go back through the touchscreen instead of just moving your cup to a different spout.

BTW, I've seen at least one place that had two of these machines–a Five Guys on US-1 south of Alexandria. I think the Elevation Burger at Fair Oaks Mall may have had two as well, but I don't recall. I would not be surprised if the Five Guys near Verizon Center has two because of how busy it gets (they could use three in the hour or two before a game), but I have not been in there in at least a year. I like Five Guys, but I try not to go there too often!
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Zeffy

Quote from: txstateends on February 03, 2015, 01:06:48 PM
6 years, Zeffy??  That's a lot of time away...I'm guessing you're better off as far as health goes.  I need to get off the fast-food merry-go-round for the most part, myself.

Oh, I meant I haven't physically gone into a fast-food joint in 6 years. I still eat it at least once a week though, which is much better than the 3-4 times a week when I was a teenager.
Life would be boring if we didn't take an offramp every once in a while

A weird combination of a weather geek, roadgeek, car enthusiast and furry mixed with many anxiety related disorders

nexus73

I like the raspberry Sprite.  Adding vanilla to Barq's was yuck.  YMMV.

Rick
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MikeTheActuary

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 03, 2015, 12:41:24 PM
I think they're yet another way to make obesity fun. 

Raspberry Coke Zero is about the only form of Coke I enjoy.

lordsutch

It hasn't hit Burger King around here yet. My school did get a bunch of the machines at our various dining facilities on our campuses, and at least among the youth it doesn't seem too hard for them to grasp. Even at Wendy's I've never encountered much of a wait.

Personally, I like the option to get drinks that are hard to find at most soda machines, particularly diet options like Diet Barq's, Sprite Zero, and even Coke Zero, although not every option is available (no Caffeine Free Coke Zero around here, or newfangled stuff like Coke Life).

Pink Jazz

#13
Quote from: lordsutch on February 03, 2015, 09:57:51 PM
It hasn't hit Burger King around here yet.

As far as I know, they are only being installed at company-owned locations for now.  The locations near you may be franchise locations.  Not sure if franchise locations will be getting them in the future.  Even if the franchise locations were to get them, it would probably be up to the owner of the specific location whether or not they want one, and are free to opt out.

kurumi

Hopefully the restaurants also have these installed:

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02 Park Ave

Does the machine offer the new CocaCola Life?
C-o-H

The Nature Boy

You know, road geeking and avoiding fast food places sounds like a challenge.

Good job to those who can though

NE2

Quote from: The Nature Boy on February 03, 2015, 11:38:08 PM
You know, road geeking and avoiding fast food places sounds like a challenge.

Good job to those who can though
I bet there are indoor grills that plug into car lighter sockets.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

rickmastfan67

Quote from: 02 Park Ave on February 03, 2015, 11:01:43 PM
Does the machine offer the new CocaCola Life?

Not yet.

My personal favorites in the Freestyle are:
Coca-Cola Orange
Mello-Yello Peach

Mr. Matté


Pete from Boston


Quote from: Mr. Matté on February 04, 2015, 06:55:45 AM
Quote from: kurumi on February 03, 2015, 10:58:58 PM
Hopefully the restaurants also have these installed:



North Carolina excluded

Why don't people get that public health is not simply individual health multiplied many times?

1995hoo

Quote from: NE2 on February 04, 2015, 12:12:02 AM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on February 03, 2015, 11:38:08 PM
You know, road geeking and avoiding fast food places sounds like a challenge.

Good job to those who can though
I bet there are indoor grills that plug into car lighter sockets.

You could just get an adapter for your lighter socket that turns it into a standard electrical plug. I've seen those for sale in stores like Radio Shack, though I've never had any reason to buy one. (There is a Radio Shack a few minutes' walk from our house. I go there when I need those round-style "button batteries.")
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Pete from Boston


Quote from: 1995hoo on February 04, 2015, 11:26:59 AM
Quote from: NE2 on February 04, 2015, 12:12:02 AM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on February 03, 2015, 11:38:08 PM
You know, road geeking and avoiding fast food places sounds like a challenge.

Good job to those who can though
I bet there are indoor grills that plug into car lighter sockets.

You could just get an adapter for your lighter socket that turns it into a standard electrical plug. I've seen those for sale in stores like Radio Shack, though I've never had any reason to buy one. (There is a Radio Shack a few minutes' walk from our house. I go there when I need those round-style "button batteries.")

Not for long.

In any case, anything that cooks draws a crapload of current and will wreck your adapter and probably a lot of the car electrics. 

jeffandnicole

Quote from: lordsutch on February 03, 2015, 09:57:51 PM
Even at Wendy's I've never encountered much of a wait.

I can't recall the last time I was in Wendy's and there was more than one cashier.  Even if there were several people in line, the jam would be at the register, then those people trickle to the soda machine.  If it was a McDonalds where 3 registers may be in use at one time, they would be a jam at the soda machine.

kphoger

I love these machines! My favorite kinds of soda are hard to come by at soda machines, but I can always find one I'm excited about with these. Multiple flavors of ginger ale? Count me in! I have a friend (upper-middle age) whose wife loves suicides, so they sometimes go to Burger King just for the sake of the soda machine.
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