national · macro

McDonald's and Whataburger are chasing c-store drink sales

Original headline: “QSRs are gaining ground in dispensed beverages”

Why this matters

Quick-service chains are rolling out refreshers, craft-style sodas, and specialty drinks to compete directly with convenience stores, which have built loyal traffic on cheap, customizable beverages. For an independent operator, this is a new pressure point: QSRs are using low-cost drinks as a traffic driver and a reason to visit that has nothing to do with food. If your menu does not have a signature beverage, a non-alcohol specialty drink, or a reason to stop in just for a drink, you are competing against a category you have not entered. Drink margins are high and ticket attachment is real.

What to do

Audit your current drink menu and reprice or add one high-margin specialty beverage before summer foot traffic peaks.

Reveal Newsroom · Auto-published from restaurant-dive →

Published Fri, 19 Jun 2026 20:08:24 GMT