[Drew68]

This industry needs to be automated and fast.

There's three McD's by my home and every time I visit one, EVERY TIME, EACH ONE, they tell me the milkshake machine isn't working.

I used to work at McD's as a teenager some 35 years ago. I've eaten at them countless times since then and I've never heard of a milkshake machine being out of order. Milkshakes are a staple of their sales. This is a recent occurrence within the past couple of years but now it's a regular occurrence and no matter which McD's I visit.

I've come to believe that the machine likely works just fine, the employees simply don't want to clean it at closing time.

[discostu]

Actually there have been articles about it:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/former-mcdonalds-worker-lets-slip-20716313

Short version: they’re built to fail and require the company ($$) to do service calls.

[RetiredTexasVet]

Spot on.

[deport]

There’s three McD’s by my home and every time I visit one, EVERY TIME, EACH ONE, they tell me the milkshake machine isn’t working.

**********

Have you ever called the district office to ask why?

[gitmo]

There's three McD's by my home and every time I visit one, EVERY TIME, EACH ONE, they tell me the milkshake machine isn't working.

That's ironic. The chain was started because Ray Kroc was selling ice cream machines and created the chain as a purchaser of his machines.

[TChad]

There's three McD's by my home and every time I visit one, EVERY TIME, EACH ONE, they tell me the milkshake machine isn't working.

It's not just you. McDonalds' ice cream machines are known as the least reliable mechanical devices on the planet.

[Starboard]

EVERY TIME, EACH ONE, they tell me the milkshake machine isn’t working

**************

Services at American businesses are breaking down. You see it everywhere. Just a sign of the general collapse of the country.

[punknpuss]

When I bartended long, long ago I hated making pina coladas and other frozen drinks because we had only one blender and I was responsible for washing all the glassware used in the restaurant and bar as well as cleaning my busy bar. I always said the blender was broken. But, I made a fantastic Long Island Iced Tea and sold that instead. Same money, less mess.

[Mastador1]

You can find youtubes that explain the problem, it has to do with machines that are just way too computerized and employees who forget to put hem in to a het mode at closing that takes 6 hours or so to complete. The employees are usually clueless so the manager tells them to say the machine is down or broken. The days are long gone when the biggest problem was an incorrectly assembled pump, worn o-rings or blades.

The other major problem is that Taylor the company that makes the shake/ice cream machines have a unbreakable contract to supply and repair the machines so it behooves them to supply McD's with a over complicated machine(the ones they make for competitors is much simpler) because they make huuuuge money on those guaranteed service calls.

You might find this interesting https://1851franchise.com/mcdonalds-broken-ice-cream-machines-reveal-franchisors-deep-dysfunctions-2715583

I have some little experience with MickeyD's having managed them for a Franchisee for over 22 years. I can tell you they started going to shit back in the nineties and I decided I wasn't going to stick around while they kept adding more crap to the menu while still demanding 30 sec. drive thru and 60 sec. counter times. I have completely stopped going years ago because I got tired of service I would have been fired for being the new normal.

[zeugma]

I've come to believe that the machine likely works just fine, the employees simply don't want to clean it at closing time.

That wouldn't surprise me at all, but would you really want to get a milkshake from that machine anyway?

[mad_as_he$$]

https://www.techeblog.com/why-is-mcdonalds-ice-cream-maker-machine-broken/