By Michael J. Critelli | MakeUsWell Newsletter, 

How fast-food chains are creating new reasons to visit and new decisions for our wellbeing

For decades, fast-food restaurants competed to answer a familiar question: Where should we eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Increasingly, they are asking another: What will bring customers through the drive-through when they are not looking for a meal?

The answer is an expanding assortment of colorful, customizable beverages. Cold foam, flavored syrups, popping boba, fruit additions, and seasonal combinations turn an ordinary drink into an experience. For consumers, these products create new opportunities for enjoyment. They also create more occasions to consume calories we may barely notice.

McDonald’s illustrates this shift. In May 2026, it introduced a permanent nationwide lineup of refreshers and crafted sodas. Offerings included Sprite with blue raspberry syrup and cold foam, and Dr Pepper with vanilla flavor and cold foam. The company described the lineup as a new reason to visit its restaurants.

Taco Bell’s Live Más Café makes the strategy even more explicit. Its cafés operate inside Taco Bell restaurants, with dedicated beverage equipment and employees called “Bellristas.” The company reports that some customers visit for a specialty drink and then add food. The beverage becomes the starting point for the transaction.

Sonic has extended the opportunity into seasonal rituals. Its 2026 “Hotumn” campaign offered autumn-inspired cold beverages while the weather remained hot. Cherry Pie Coke combined cherry and vanilla flavors with sweet cream; Blueberry Pie Dr Pepper included blueberry puree, vanilla flavor, and sweet cream. An influencer partnership helped make the drinks part of an anticipated seasonal experience.

From a business perspective, this is understandable. A restaurant can attract customers between meals, offer a relatively affordable indulgence, and encourage repeat visits through new flavors. Specialty drinks also offer opportunities for higher prices and margins than ordinary fountain beverages.

From a wellbeing perspective, however, we should examine what is changing.

First, these campaigns expand the number of occasions on which we are invited to consume something. The trigger may be an afternoon break, a seasonal celebration, a social outing, or the desire to try something seen online. Hunger need not enter the decision.

Second, beverage names can make nutritional judgments difficult. McDonald’s Reduced Sugar Vanilla Swirl with Coke Zero Sugar contains vanilla syrup and cold foam. A large size has 230 calories. The zero-sugar soda base does not make the finished drink calorie-free.

“Reduced sugar” and “low calorie” communicate different things. A customer who associates Coke Zero with negligible calories may not immediately reconsider that expectation when vanilla and foam enter the picture. The product’s familiar foundation can obscure the significance of its additions.

Third, customization complicates comparisons. Two drinks with similar names can differ because of size, syrup quantity, toppings, or substitutions. A consumer may need to investigate the complete order rather than rely on the beverage category or one prominent claim.

We should avoid assuming that every specialty drink increases someone’s total calorie intake. A drink replacing a milkshake could reduce it. The same drink added to an existing routine could increase it. However, even if the replacement does not increase calorie consumption, it can add sugar to someone’s daily diet.

Nor should we portray enjoyment as a failure of discipline. People reasonably value flavor, pleasure, convenience, and shared experiences. The challenge is making those choices with an accurate understanding of what we are buying.

A useful personal habit is to pause before ordering: Am I thirsty, hungry, seeking a treat, or responding to a promotion? Each answer suggests a different decision. Checking the calories for the actual size and configuration can then turn an automatic purchase into an informed one.

Restaurants have an opportunity here as well. They can make the finished drink’s nutritional information easy to see, offer smaller portions, and make less-sweet versions straightforward to order. Creativity could expand appealing choices for customers who want novelty without substantial additional sugar or calories.

Wellbeing depends partly on recognizing how our decision environments are designed. Marketing increasingly connects consumption with moments, moods, identities, and routines.

Fast-food companies are becoming more skilled at creating those connections. We need to become equally skilled at noticing them, asking better questions, and deciding which invitations deserve a place in our lives.

The goal is to preserve enjoyment while making sure that an occasional pleasure remains a conscious choice, rather than becoming an unnoticed daily habit.