Wild theory on why McDonald’s ice cream machines are always broken
A wild theory surrounding a common issue at McDonald’s worldwide has gained momentum after customer filmed a drive-through video.
It’s a problem that Macca’s fans will be all too familiar with: you try to order a soft serve cone, thickshake or McFlurry, only to be told the store’s ice cream machine is broken.
The issue is something that’s been reported worldwide for years, with a TikTok video from US man Nathan Triska last month the latest in a long spate of viral incidents over the fast food restaurant’s machine.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 14 million times, Mr Triska says “if it wasn’t caught on camera no one would believe it”, and tries to order a soft serve cone.
“Is your ice cream machine working?” Mr Triska asks a McDonald’s drive-through attendant through a speaker.
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“Yes it is,” the employee replies, prompting Mr Triska to ask: “OK, can I just get one vanilla ice cream cone?”
Suddenly, through the speaker a series of crashing and rattling sounds can be heard before the worker replies: “It actually just broke, so …”
Mr Triska’s video attracted more than 10,000 comments from people speculating why the machine had suddenly broke.
“I’m a manager for McDonald’s a lot of the time it’s in a cleaning cycle and takes four hours,” one person commented.
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“I work at McDonald’s. If it’s busy we sometimes say it’s broken because we don’t wanna make it,” another claimed.
“When I worked at my local one a few years back it actually was broken a lot or was down for cleaning which takes hours, or it was overheated from us,” one person also wrote.
The problem isn’t just a US one either – a quick look on Twitter and you’ll see complaints from Aussie Macca’s customers stretching back for years.
me when the maccas employee tells me the soft serve machine is broken #survivorauhttps://t.co/BhRdw44Dzx
— jackson langford (@jacksonlangford) September 3, 2017
I watched a video about how the maccas ice cream machines are always broken and it made me crave a maccas soft serve so I stopped by on the way home but the machine is broken 🙃
— ella (@ellanina_) May 11, 2021
I swear to god, the next time I'm told "we're not doing thickshakes at the moment our machine is broken" by a Maccas employee I will lose it
— Ellie-Marie Watts (@E1MaWa) February 28, 2017
should I be surprised the ice cream machine @ maccas is still broken 🙄🙄
— christine 🌻 (@Teenser98) October 9, 2017
#australianproblemsnight when the soft serve machine at maccas is broken like wtf am i supposed to do with 50 cents now
— rhi 💠(@palomoharry) December 28, 2013
Went to Maccas near Villa, their ice cream machine was broken. Went to Canning Vale Maccas and theirs was broken too. I just want a sundae!
— ð–†ð–’ð–‡ð–Šð–— (@amberxlily) May 3, 2012
‘Really weird’ theory about broken machines
This is where the soft serve plot – pardon the pun – gets thicker.
Last month, US journalist Johnny Harris posted a 30-minute YouTube deep-dive into why McDonald’s ice cream machines were always broken.
Harris was tipped off by an anonymous email that claimed there was a “deeper” reason that “no-one is asking”.
The journalist – who admitted the theory was “really weird” if true – suggested it could be because the machines have a high breakdown rate that results in franchisees paying service and repair fees to the manufacturer Taylor Company.
News.com.au has contacted McDonald’s Australia to confirm whether Taylor Company also makes the ice cream machines here or if another manufacturer is used.
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Why McDonald’s ice cream machine always broken?
Harris’ videos echoes a survey of 100 McDonald’s outlets in the US done in 2000 which found 25 per cent of them weren’t serving ice cream menu items because of issues with the machine.
The Wall Street Journal reported in 2017 that Macca’s ice cream machines had to go through a four hour cleaning cycle, with one former McDonald’s employee telling the publication they were “miserable” to use.
A McDonald’s US spokesperson told Harris last month that they were in the process of “testing a connectivity solution” by introducing a new ice cream machine “in the coming months”.
News.com.au has reached out to McDonald’s Australia for comment.
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