re: Why does a fountain Sprite taste horrible when compare to an ice cold bottled/can Sprite?

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It’s actually very simple. It has to do with the chemical makeup of Sprite and the way carbonation is added to it through fountains as compared to bottles and cans. It has the same effect on all soft drinks actually.

The chemical formulas of these soft drinks are made to have a certain taste when added with carbonation at the factories. However, the formula that they throw in the bags is actually the same as the formula they use for bottles and cans. However, the carbonation isn’t actually the same and not as regulated as well either. At the factories, they are very controlled so as to not mess with the flavor. However, in fountain drinks they are different. In soda fountains, carbonation is actually produced by tiny soda elves that were purchased from Coca Cola (ironically, they do the Santa Christmas promotion because of it) that are the size of peas. At first, their magically blowing abilities produce the exact same carbonation to the syrup as the factories. However, as time goes on, they become tired. They get sloppy and start letting spit go through and sometimes will fart and shite into your soda in order to get the carbonation in there. As you can see, this is not ideal.

So long story short, over time the soda machines can not produce the same quality as the factories, causing the drinks and specifically sprite and the formula to not taste as good as it does in cans and bottles.

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All of this. Don't forget to add that a lot of places do not clean their fountains, if at all. The amount of mold you'd find would disgust you.

That's not how fountains work

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For what its worth, Beer draft lines are just as dirty if not more so.

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No way. I've worked at a half dozen bars in BR and they all got their lines cleaned weekly by crescent crown or mockler in addition to regular cleaning by a barback when switching between different beers on the same line. It might be different in other areas of the country, though.

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Call me trashy... but McDonald's fountain coke is awesome... and McDonald's fountain orange drink (RIP) was the best ever.

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I like the fountain drinks at Johnny's Pizza the best, then Subway, then McDonald's.

Okay voice of experience here.

Most “soda fountains” use public water sources, and bag in a box mixes that are mixed at about a 5 water to 1 mix ratio.

Yes, the employees of said restaurant are supposed to change water purification filters to the machine that carbonates the water, but they use long life filters so they rarely do get changed.

Also with the public sources of water, each will still have its own taste. I can taste a difference between coke from a fountain from a Mississippi Gulf Coast establishment because they use well water verses a bayou establishment which will use surfaces or “bayou water.” (I know, I expect 50 replies to bayou water being gross.)

McDonald’s actually uses so much Coke it is delivered in a 75 gallon quantities and is pumped into the store and stored in a stainless steel pressurized vessel.

each 5 Gallon Bag in the Box makes 55 gallons of drink.
Its a 5:1 ratio. That 75 gallon tank is CO2