Most people probably know what the little round buttons on the top of fast food soda lids are for, since they are generally labeled things like "cola," "diet" and "RB."
But it turns out the little rectangular doodads near them on some lids also have a function.
Some may have assumed that those little rectangles were just to maintain structural integrity in the lid, or something leftover from the process used to make the lids, but they actually have their own use. Those little rectangles let you reset the dots if you make a mistake and push the wrong one in.
For instance, if you pushed the round "diet" button but the cup is actually full of regular cola, pushing on the little rectangle next to the "diet" dot will pop the plastic back up and let you depress the "cola" button instead.
This revelation was evidently mind-blowing for a whole lot of people.
\u201cPOV: your mind is blown\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
Some were excited by the news, while others were just flabbergasted.
\u201c@todayyearsoldig Ayo this is exciting because now I can play with the milkshake cup forever!\n(Genuinely excited)\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
\u201c@todayyearsoldig I don't know why I would ever need to backspace but nice to know it can be done\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
\u201c@todayyearsoldig Okay, usually I know these. I knew about pushing in the bubble, but I had no clue what that rectangular extrusion was. \ud83e\udd2f\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
\u201c@todayyearsoldig There is an undo function \ud83d\ude33\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
A few people in the comments said the fact that pressing on that bit of the lid would reset the button indicating the drink's flavor was completely coincidental.
They claimed the small rectangular bits are actually there for another purpose like making sure the lids don't get crushed when they are stacked or making the liquid inside slosh around less.
\u201c@todayyearsoldig Ironically. The extrusions are there to make sure the rim of the lid had a uniform depth in the mould process and to keep the bubbles from getting press when the lids are stacked. That is an incidental by product of that feature.\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
\u201c@todayyearsoldig Those are not playthings\ud83d\ude39It's for reducing spillage risks.\n\nCarrying these in a vehicle involves quite a lot of bouncing and sloshing. So lid designers had to figure out a way to minimize the amount of coffee lost to bumpy drives. As a result, most lids have recessed portions,\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
Not all fast food chains use the same lids, so your mileage may vary.
\u201c@todayyearsoldig The Burger King lid doesn\u2019t even have it \ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Today Years Old (@Today Years Old) 1684232131
Whether the lids were intentionally designed to have an undo feature or it's just a happy accident, it works so we'll take the W.
The more you know...
@marshamolinari/Instagram
@orlandobloom/Instagram
@bloekaty/Instagram
@kursatperry/Instagram
@miamoretti/Instagram
@aprilwolfe/Bluesky
@itsnotnotfunny/X
