Chick-fil-A customers outraged over cup change
'I'm fine with the fries change , but taking away the Styrofoam cup? This feels gross,' a user wrote on Reddit last week, sharing a photo of a paper white and red soda cup. Their post sparked a heated debate among hundreds of patrons, with some condemning the new cups and others getting onboard with them.
'We have the paper cups in Canada and they suck,' another added. 'Styrofoam is a much better material for cups. Its insulated so your hand doesn't get cold and wet while holding it,' one person described.
'I understand if it's better for the environment. I just reeaaallly wish we could find a similar alternative, because Styrofoam really does keep that ice from melting nearly as fast,' someone said. But other swooped in to defend the transition. 'I'm shocked that people would miss the Styrofoam cup what is wrong with you. Do you like eating plastic?' a Redditor asked.
Another added: 'I personally dislike the Styrofoam cups. Whenever I have them, I wonder if a loose small piece of Styrofoam is floating around in my drink.' 'Paper cups do just as well keeping your drink cold with ice. Without the numerous environmental downsides to Styrofoam,' someone asserted. 'Styrofoam is so bad and most states are starting to ban them. ……plus they kinda suck,' a comment reads.
It is unclear where the original Redditor posted from, but several states across the US have banned Styrofoam. The lightweight plastic material has been outlawed in Colorado, Maine, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Washington DC.
Styrofoam, a brand for polystyrene, has long been considered harmful to the environment because it release toxic chemicals and is not biodegradable, Environment America reported. Chick-fil-a locations, such as stores in Virginia, have been transitioning away from the material.
'Attention Valued Guests: Virginia has issued a state-wide ban on serving Styrofoam cups after 6/30/25,' a Chick-fil-A in Culpeper shared on Facebook on Thursday. 'To comply with this state law, we are transitioning to insulated paper cups for most of your favorite beverages. Thank you for understanding!' The company announced a change in its cups in 2024, but the announcement does not mention Styrofoam.
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