About time someone looked into this
If you’ve frequented McDonald’s more than a few times, the likelihood is you’ve tried and failed to get an ice cream of some sort, because the machine was broken.
McDonald’s McFlurry machines are so frequently out of order that it has become the subject of countless internet memes, sketches and even song lyrics.
So it will come as a great relief to those of you who love a McFlurry that the United States Federal Trade Commission is investigating the matter, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The FTC is said to have sent letters to McDonald’s questioning how often owners are allowed to work on the machines without the help of the manufacturer.
This comes a few months after president Joe Biden signed an executive order to promote competition within the economy, cracking down on “unfair anticompetitive restrictions on third-party repair or self-repair of items, such as the restrictions imposed by powerful manufacturers that prevent farmers from repairing their own equipment.”
This matters because Taylor Commercial Foodservice LLC make McDonald’s McFlurry machines and have been accused of making machines that are prone to breaking and difficult to fix. They have been the subject of allegations of running a ‘repair racket’ – profiting off the fact that only they can be paid to fix their machines.
You know, like how your iPhone breaks after a few years and you have no choice but to buy a new one.
A Taylor Commercial Food Service representative said: “A lot of what’s been broadcasted can be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the equipment and how they operate in the restaurants.
“[When working with dairy products] you have to make sure the machine is cleaned properly. The machines are built up with a lot of interconnecting parts that have to operate in a complex environment and manner.”
They have not been found of any wrongdoing. But hopefully this investigation across the pond translates to the British Isles and the next time we get some form of summer weather (probably in November at this rate) we’ll be able to pick up a McFlurry without any of the usual hiccups.
