RFDC wrote:
Another tip to make your drink choice a little better. Order a small water right before ordering your Coke. It makes sure you do not get any extra soda from the previous selection in the dispenser.
My first reaction upon reading this is that you surely can't be serious about doing this. How much soda do you think would residually remain between dispensings? I think we could all agree it is going to be less than a tablespoon? I think it is probably much, much less, but lets go with a tablespoon. A tablespoon contains 0.5 fl. oz of liquid. A McDonald's small is 16 fluid ounces. 0.5 of 16 ounces is 3%. Again, I am using the largest leftover soda amount and the smallest soda amount you could be purchasing, and this is just 3%. I really don't think the 3% of orange soda that gets in your Coke is going to be perceived by the average person, especially considering that the residual amount is the first part to be dispensed into the cup and therefore thoroughly mixed in the final product.
Also, even if you are flushing this out with water (one assumes you toss the small water cup instead of drinking it?), are you not leaving behind a similar amount of water in the dispenser? I suppose the viscosity of water versus a soda could potentially make a difference of what remained to be dispenced during
Dispensin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, but assuming roughly equivalent, this would serve to water down your beverage by 3%. Again, I really don't think you are going to be able to detect this adulteration. I'd really (not really) be angered to hear you are an ice-free guy and then watering down your drink this way.
And all of this assumes that the other factors are so dialed in to the exacting standards that you aren't already getting too heavy/light of a syrup mix or the carbonation isn't too heavy/light to the water. You're also assuming that the algorithms that run the Coke machine are executing your requests in the order you submitted... it may pour your Coke first and then pour your small water if it feels that is somehow better in McDonaldland for whatever their own reasons are. I'd like to read any rebuttals you have to this constructive criticism, but at this time I can't recommend your tip for myself or for others.