I own some metal straws, they are pretty great to use. The main issue is cleaning them. You cannot just throw them in a dishwasher, you have to use a pipe cleaner. That's a level of manual effort that restaurants probably don't want to take on.
this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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I wonder if there could be a solution where there’s an insert with built in pipe cleaner thingies for the dishwasher, and when you load them up and turn the dishwasher on, it goes WOOSH WOOSH and then it’s clean.
This was the way I was thinking too. A bore brush on a longish stick. Cram the straws on the stick and send 'em. Any serious chunckage should get pushed out.
How would you prevent it from being flung off or it just spinning with the brush? That's the big challenge.
Just shove it down past the bristles. Maybe give it some twists on the way. It ain't goin' nowhere. The bristles are arranged in a spiral with a slighly wider diameter than the tube.
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I have a couple and I absolutely hate the metal taste they give. Maybe it's the cold of the bewerage or the material (cheap straws?).
I use silicone straws. Easier to clean than metal ones too.
I have some glass ones I found in my local dollar store, they're wonderful
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My impression is that at least in Germany it's very rare to get a straw in a restaurant at all. It's usually fast food places, bars and clubs where straws seem to be a thing, and these places usually don't offer metal cutlery.
Agreed, and it's because they don't serve drinks with ice - I witnessed this pretty much everywhere from Amsterdam to Finland. I asked one person why and was told no one wants their expensive drinks to get watered down. At the time, a fountain drink was at least double the expected price in the states. No ice, no need for a straw?
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They are a fucking pain in the ass to clean. Dishwashers leave a ton of shit.
I have glass straws at home, they come out of the dishwasher immaculate every time.
Unless you drink only water that's smash (x) doubt.
Washing machines could be made to support glass/metal straws for better cleaning though, I think there just hasnt been enough adoption yet.
They are a pain in the ass to clean currently
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The simple answer is cleanliness.
Straws of any sort are a pain to clean. You need to at least get a focused stream of water up the middle, and preferably a brush. Industrial dishwashers just can't do this reliably. You either need a specialist cleaning machine, or do it manually. Both are expensive.
There are also issues with preferences (metallic tastes, shape, etc), handling (metal straws are perfectly shaped to mess with the innards of dishwashers) and cost. But cleanliness is the BIG one.
You're right, but but carry-out drinks are a big part of it too. If you're keeping disposable straws for those, you might as well use them in both places for the reason you cite.
Except any annoying kitchen task that can solved by specialized but not crazy expensive equipment will be.
Like, I don't think a kitchen would bother trying to automate silverware rolling. (I just looked it up. Equipment exists, but not published prices. I've seen pleny of staff doing by hand though.) I have, however, seen a thing that looked like 4 mini vertically spinning carwash-spinning-pole-of-towels thingies that bartenders were using to wipe the insides of glasses. (I just looked that up too. I think I found the model for $810 US.) No one would have that in their home, but not many people use any sort of straw at home.
So what I'm saying is that a specialized dishwasher for durable steel straws doesn't seem hard to design or expensive to manufacturer. I feel OP was hoping for more innovation.
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Don't mock me, but... Why are people so obsessed with straws? I can't even remember when I used it the last time. If I want to drink a beverage, I just use glass or cup as it is.
I have sensitive teeth. Drinking an ice cold drink without a straw hurts my teeth. So I prefer when I can get it
Ok, thanks, that's a good point.
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Boba teas suck without straws. accessibility issues as well. Mixed drinks are pretty good with straws (all the ice, and if it needs to be mixed using a straw serves a dual purpose).
To expand on accessibility, some people have neuromuscular issues that make drinking from a cup difficult. Some people have sensory issues that have the same end result. Straws help these people.
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You could just learn to drink like a grown up.
It's an accessibility thing. Some people struggle without a straw (elderly, disabled, etc). Straws are also convenient if you're wearing lipstick.
That's such a simple thing for people with mobility problems to solve for themselves.
If straws are a requirement then carry your own straws. Then you can choose the material.
I commented on another thread about McDonald's, in France they stopped giving out straws and just printed on the cup "To drink, remove lid and lift cup, you're not an infant"
First comment underneath it was "What about people with mobility problems"
Shut the fuck up bitch
When i was in paria they just had recycled card lids with a small hole in like a coffee lid and ypu drank from the hole. Or i guess you could remove the lid.
Hawaii has straws already figured out. They feel and work like regular ass straws, yet they are biodegradable and made from Papayai i think. Every restaurant and vendor i came across used them. Idk why it hasnt spread to the mainland.
There's a lot of interesting alternatives like that right now but they all have the same issue: Scale.
Providing a McDonald's quantity of straws requires a HUGE supply chain.
True, but every place i went to on all of the islands out there had the straws, as well as the disposable silverware of the same material. 1.4 million people live there and like 10 million tourists visit each year. Most of those tourists are eating out every meal. The cruise ships all have them. It seemed at a decent scale, i think its finna scale bro
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I’ve never used an ass straw, is it very different to just using your tongue?
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They're tough to clean quickly
They should develop metal syringes to directly inject the fluids into the body
I think straws are harder to clean properly. All other utensils are outside surfaces only. If some one has food stuck inside one the restaurant is probably not going to want to manually put a cleaner inside every one to be sure. A small chance some customer is going to get one with food still in it... I don't mind the paper ones that don't go soggy right away. At home I use metal or silicone ones. Like the silicone ones!
My guess is cleaning a lot of them effectively would take too much time.
I worked as a dishwasher at Cracker Barrel for a summer, and just getting the utensils clean was a challenge on a busy day. Metal straws used at scale would need specialized washing equipment that can handle a kid shoving it full of pork chops and mashed potatoes.
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For many of the same reasons they aren't a suitable alternative for those who need straws, either (though a restaurant owner will be making the decision based on cost rather than accessibility).
The real issue is that people still (or ever) bitch and moan about straws, since they were never really a problem, just a distraction from those actually destroying the environment..
I feel like those “reasons” are very exaggerated. How many people are allergic to stainless steel? How is metal not safe in hot beverages? If it’s burning due to heat, the liquid will do that on its own. How are biodegradable straws any more if a choking hazard? There are so many questionable judgements in that list. At the very least, it isn’t nearly that binary.
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