Mary Grunmeier

Commerce

Straws and Condiments

Tonight, friends and I were out at our local bar and grill. The bartender asked the owner, "Could you please get big straws so people will drink faster?" (They have very narrow stirrer-style straws.) He said, just bring some in. Someone said, "Get them from McDonald's or somewhere." Someone else said, "Oh, no..at the drink station at the McDonald's in Parsippany, they don't have the straws or napkins any more--they give you a straw when you order the drink." I thought about it, and where I get my iced tea in the morning, they have completely changed their condiment display...no straws, no forks, no spoon, no Splenda, etc. When I buy the iced tea, they offer me a straw, which I don't want. Someone else mentioned that he had been at Taco Bell in East Hanover and same thing....no straws in the self-service beverage area...he had to go back and ask for one. Maybe it's not an economic story, but all of these places are just trying to cut down on plastic? Maybe both?

55 Mount Pleasant Ave.,