Poll of the Day > Did you know the McDonalds ice cream machine is broken on purpose?

(+) Yeah! (+)

The machine manufacturer (Taylor) has a repair monopoly so they can gouge franchisers all they want

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I thought "broken" meant it was being cleaned but it was an hours long process so they say broken.

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Blighboy posted...

I thought "broken" meant it was being cleaned but it was an hours long process so they say broken.

^This. People would get upset if you tried to say "Routine Maintenance to prevent it from breaking down" but if you say it's broken, the customers are far more understanding.

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Blighboy posted...

I thought "broken" meant it was being cleaned but it was an hours long process so they say broken.

No this was explained in a recent thread. The cleaning process takes a long time so they do it overnight which means it has a higher chance of breaking down because the company is bad at manufacturing.
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Nah, it's like the John Deere situation, the developer has intentionally shitty coding so that it breaks more often than it should

https://youtu.be/iXwD_HeC8Ms

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a large amount of employees have said that they only say it's "broken" because the machine is in cleaning mode


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I've never experienced the ice cream machine being broken

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Greenfox111 posted...

I've never experienced the ice cream machine being broken

Don't think I have either

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Everyone always complains how the McDonalds ice cream machines are broken, but its never been the case when I go. I think the whole "McDonalds ice cream machines are always broken" thing is a myth.

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thats COLD cheatin the system like dat!

You'd think that McDonald's would simply switch machine manufacturers in order to circumvent this problem, in order to sell more of their frozen items and reap more profit.
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EclairReturns posted...

You'd think that McDonald's would simply switch machine manufacturers in order to circumvent this problem, in order to sell more of their frozen items and reap more profit.

generally speaking large companies do not replace expensive equipment unless (and sometimes after) absolutely necessary

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I never have this problem getting a frosty at wendys, the superior fast food joint.

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I have it happen to me all the time.

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bulbinking posted...

I never have this problem getting a frosty at wendys, the superior fast food joint.

I love Wendy's but frosties are shit

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I watched a long expose on this whole situation, and there are numerous reasons why the machine is always broken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrDEtSlqJC4

The guy goes into great detail researching why this is the case, and why other fast food restaurants don't have similar problems.

Greenfox111 posted...

I've never experienced the ice cream machine being broken

90% of the time in 3 different states the mcdonalds ice cream machine is broken in my experience. Obviously not the case everywhere, but it's so common that the only way I can imagine you've never experienced this is if you've never asked for ice cream at a mcdonalds before.

Dude did research on it the machine has a massive maintenance cycle, that cycle fails very often, the error codes aren't helpful, the system has been updated to become even less helpful, the software someone made to help franchise owners keep their machine functioning were banned by the company, all so that they are forced to call someone to maintain the machine and charge absurd amounts of money.

The machine is intentionally flawed and that is a fact.

Kanatteru posted...

absolutely necessary

Are you saying that the cost to replace these ice cream machines would outweigh the profit gained from selling the frozen items that McDonald's would be able to sell if it could produce aforementioned items with reliable consistency? Or perhaps the net profit gained would not be considered significant by the franchise's figurative overlords if any such measures were taken?
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Also every single time I've been to a McDonald's, the ice cream machine was working

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Zareth posted...

Also every single time I've been to a McDonald's, the ice cream machine was working

This is meaningless, it obviously depends heavily on how lucky that store is with their machine. This is like claiming that 100,000 people that buy a car and have a shitty experience don't matter because you have never had a problem with said car.

Did you know McDonalds is for fat beings.

cant cal them people.....

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I've dealt with Taylor machines for years. Articles like this one make it seem awful:

https://www.wired.com/story/they-hacked-mcdonalds-ice-cream-makers-started-cold-war/

But I used to clean these machines with all of those 'parts' shown regularly when I was 15 and it isn't a huge deal. Yes, the ice cream machine has a maintenance mode built into it that isn't supposed to be revealed to the general public. Surprise! Every single electronic appliance you have in your house has the same thing (Refrigerator, stove, washing machine, dryer, etc.) It has been standard industry practice for quite some time.

This is hardly the same as something like John Deere, which sells products to an individual (or small company) and doesn't allow you to modify or repair them. McDonalds is a franchise, and (shocker!) they tend to require the same equipment and service contracts because they are a chain. It isn't some hidden secret; you know what you are signing up for when you purchase the franchise.

Kanatteru posted...

generally speaking large companies do not replace expensive equipment unless (and sometimes after) absolutely necessary

Sometimes after?

11110111011 posted...

I've dealt with Taylor machines for years. Articles like this one make it seem awful:

https://www.wired.com/story/they-hacked-mcdonalds-ice-cream-makers-started-cold-war/

But I used to clean these machines with all of those 'parts' shown regularly when I was 15 and it isn't a huge deal. Yes, the ice cream machine has a maintenance mode built into it that isn't supposed to be revealed to the general public. Surprise! Every single electronic appliance you have in your house has the same thing (Refrigerator, stove, washing machine, dryer, etc.) It has been standard industry practice for quite some time.

This is hardly the same as something like John Deere, which sells products to an individual (or small company) and doesn't allow you to modify or repair them. McDonalds is a franchise, and (shocker!) they tend to require the same equipment and service contracts because they are a chain. It isn't some hidden secret; you know what you are signing up for when you purchase the franchise.

"Taylor a good company"
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11110111011 posted...

I've dealt with Taylor machines for years. Articles like this one make it seem awful:

https://www.wired.com/story/they-hacked-mcdonalds-ice-cream-makers-started-cold-war/

But I used to clean these machines with all of those 'parts' shown regularly when I was 15 and it isn't a huge deal. Yes, the ice cream machine has a maintenance mode built into it that isn't supposed to be revealed to the general public. Surprise! Every single electronic appliance you have in your house has the same thing (Refrigerator, stove, washing machine, dryer, etc.) It has been standard industry practice for quite some time.

This is hardly the same as something like John Deere, which sells products to an individual (or small company) and doesn't allow you to modify or repair them. McDonalds is a franchise, and (shocker!) they tend to require the same equipment and service contracts because they are a chain. It isn't some hidden secret; you know what you are signing up for when you purchase the franchise.

I don't have to call maintenance for my appliances every day.

neither do they

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HellHole_ posted...

neither do they

McDonald's does apparently.
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Blighboy posted...

I thought "broken" meant it was being cleaned but it was an hours long process so they say broken.

I always thought it was way too hard to clean and they employees are just being lazy and don't want to do it.

Like how it'll be noon on a Saturday with all hands on deck and 100 degrees outside and it's already broken down.

Monopoman posted... c

This is like laiming that 100,000 people that buy a car and have a s***ty experience don't matter because you have never had a problem with said car.

See also: There is no JoyCon drift.

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Revelation34 posted...

Sometimes after?

yes

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Revelation34 posted...

McDonald's does apparently.

Globally? I could imagine. There are enough McDonald's franchises that I have no difficulty imagining that at least one of them has a given problem on any given day.

EclairReturns posted...

Are you saying that the cost to replace these ice cream machines would outweigh the profit gained from selling the frozen items that McDonald's would be able to sell if it could produce aforementioned items with reliable consistency? Or perhaps the net profit gained would not be considered significant by the franchise's figurative overlords if any such measures were taken?

I could believe that it would. McD's isn't exactly using super high-quality ingredients for their ice cream, but any dairy products tend to have lower margins because dairy ingredients are relatively expensive and it takes energy-hungry equipment that requires significant amounts of maintenance (=labour costs) to produce them. Toss in that it's relatively rare for people to go into McDonald's just for ice cream, meaning they'll likely still be selling some higher-margin items to customers even if they can't give them ice cream, and I can believe that they don't actually lose enough when the machine's down to justify replacing it with something more reliable.

It's still good to have the machine around so there's the possibility of getting ice cream (meaning people will consider McD's even if they want ice cream for dessert), but once people are in the store, telling them they can't get it isn't likely to discourage them from buying the meal they were planning.

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https://mcbroken.com/

They might be getting better? Apparently only 11.79% of McDonalds are "broken" right now.

BlackScythe0 posted...

https://mcbroken.com/

They might be getting better? Apparently only 11.79% of McDonalds are "broken" right now.

I mean that is pretty bad, if I told you every plane flight had a 11.79% chance of crashing I doubt you would think that flying on a plane was a good idea.

Kanatteru posted...

yes

It was sarcasm. American companies are ALWAYS after.

adjl posted...

I could believe that it would. McD's isn't exactly using super high-quality ingredients for their ice cream, but any dairy products tend to have lower margins because dairy ingredients are relatively expensive and it takes energy-hungry equipment that requires significant amounts of maintenance (=labour costs) to produce them. Toss in that it's relatively rare for people to go into McDonald's just for ice cream, meaning they'll likely still be selling some higher-margin items to customers even if they can't give them ice cream, and I can believe that they don't actually lose enough when the machine's down to justify replacing it with something more reliable.

It's still good to have the machine around so there's the possibility of getting ice cream (meaning people will consider McD's even if they want ice cream for dessert), but once people are in the store, telling them they can't get it isn't likely to discourage them from buying the meal they were planning.

I would guess that most people almost never order the cone but might do a McFlurry.
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Monopoman posted...

I mean that is pretty bad, if I told you every plane flight had a 11.79% chance of crashing I doubt you would think that flying on a plane was a good idea.

I feel like I remember checking that website and seeing it around 20% before.

I wouldn't be surprised if that documentary about the machine had some kind of impact since it laid out a pretty solid case that the machines are intentionally flawed in an effort to extract money from franchise owners.

BlackScythe0 posted...

I feel like I remember checking that website and seeing it around 20% before.

I wouldn't be surprised if that documentary about the machine had some kind of impact since it laid out a pretty solid case that the machines are intentionally flawed in an effort to extract money from franchise owners.

I'm sure McDonald's is experiencing some egg on their face from this, similar to after Super Size Me they started offering more healthy options. You can still get all the food from before but if you want a healthier meal they have that option.

Did you know that only fat people eat at McDonalds?

they shoodl just serve the slop that they call food in a slop.

eat pig food you should eat like a pig.

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Derp

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Conner4REAL posted...

Did you know that only fat people eat at McDonalds?

they shoodl just serve the slop that they call food in a slop.

eat pig food you should eat like a pig.

Don't drink and post, mkay.

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Revelation34 posted...

I would guess that most people almost never order the cone but might do a McFlurry.

They might, but it's also going to be relatively uncommon for people to go to McD's just for that (especially where McFlurries are just disappointing Blizzards, in keeping with the name), and even more uncommon for somebody who did go just for that to leave without getting anything at all (especially in a drive-thru). Most of the time, the ice cream machine being broken isn't going to cost a given franchise a customer, which substantially limits its ability to cut into profits (particularly given the relatively low margins on ice cream).

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adjl posted...

They might, but it's also going to be relatively uncommon for people to go to McD's just for that (especially where McFlurries are just disappointing Blizzards, in keeping with the name), and even more uncommon for somebody who did go just for that to leave without getting anything at all (especially in a drive-thru). Most of the time, the ice cream machine being broken isn't going to cost a given franchise a customer, which substantially limits its ability to cut into profits (particularly given the relatively low margins on ice cream).

I rarely ever order one if I go anyway. I just do the seasonal ones if they interest me enough.
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A couple summers ago, I had a coupon for some McFlurries and also they were advertising new nanaimo bar ones, so I did end up going specifically for them. Turns out the coupon only applied to the regular ones, so that's what we ended up ordering, and the whole time I was eating it all I could think of was how much better Blizzards are. I couldn't even make the joke that it tried to be a Blizzard but just ended up being a flurry because that's already its name. It was underwhelming.

In that case, actually, if the ice cream machine had been broken, I would indeed have just left (and gone to DQ >.>), so I suppose I am myself an exception to the rule I'm describing. Ah well.

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adjl posted...

A couple summers ago, I had a coupon for some McFlurries and also they were advertising new nanaimo bar ones, so I did end up going specifically for them. Turns out the coupon only applied to the regular ones, so that's what we ended up ordering, and the whole time I was eating it all I could think of was how much better Blizzards are. I couldn't even make the joke that it tried to be a Blizzard but just ended up being a flurry because that's already its name. It was underwhelming.

In that case, actually, if the ice cream machine had been broken, I would indeed have just left (and gone to DQ >.>), so I suppose I am myself an exception to the rule I'm describing. Ah well.

Man I really want to try that. I would probably have to go to Minnesota or something though. Been craving that ever since I heard about it years ago.
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I didn't end up actually having it, but I'd presume it's mostly just bits of chocolate and coconut mixed into the ice cream, which is easy to make at home. The cream from nanaimo bars is just a basic american butter cream with custard powder mixed in (or egg yolks, if you're feeling fancy), and that's not exactly something that can be added to vanilla ice cream (heck, swap the butter for cream and freeze/churn it and that is vanilla ice cream, albeit much nicer stuff than you'll get from McD's), so I expect they just add a bit of yellow colouring to make the ice cream look like it's the right colour.

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adjl posted...

I didn't end up actually having it, but I'd presume it's mostly just bits of chocolate and coconut mixed into the ice cream, which is easy to make at home. The cream from nanaimo bars is just a basic american butter cream with custard powder mixed in (or egg yolks, if you're feeling fancy), and that's not exactly something that can be added to vanilla ice cream (heck, swap the butter for cream and freeze/churn it and that is vanilla ice cream, albeit much nicer stuff than you'll get from McD's), so I expect they just add a bit of yellow colouring to make the ice cream look like it's the right colour.

It can't be added to ice cream?
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Wait... OOOOOOOOOOPS

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58315152

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Revelation34 posted...

It can't be added to ice cream?

It can, but it's not a particularly worthwhile topping. I suppose it's not really that different from cookie dough in that it's basically just a chunk of sweet butter (or margarine/shortening, since there's no way McD's would use real butter there), but the idea of putting icing in ice cream has never struck me as being particularly reasonable.

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adjl posted...

It can, but it's not a particularly worthwhile topping. I suppose it's not really that different from cookie dough in that it's basically just a chunk of sweet butter (or margarine/shortening, since there's no way McD's would use real butter there), but the idea of putting icing in ice cream has never struck me as being particularly reasonable.

I could see Ben and Jerry's doing it.
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