Is the Ice Cream Machine at your McDonalds Broken?

Gumby said:
I can't remember the last time I went to McDonalds, and I sure wouldn't go there for ice cream in any event.
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My dog loves their ice cream. Me, not so much.
 
skyking1 said:
DQ, hands down for soft serve. Problem avoided :)
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True, but McD's can often be found for about 1/3 the price. Almost as good for 1/3 the price? The mind fairly reels - one could, perhaps FIRE a day earlier!:angel: YMMV
 
Koolau said:
True, but McD's can often be found for about 1/3 the price. Almost as good for 1/3 the price? The mind fairly reels - one could, perhaps FIRE a day earlier!:angel: YMMV
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Now that is the spirit of ER! There's been too much "blow that dough" talk around here lately.

And, yes, we've been known to drive past the DQ and get the $1 (at the time) McD's ice creams instead. We enjoyed them just as much, didn't have to wait in a long line, and saving money made it taste even better.
 
Time2 said:
My question still stands as, Why would a large company with huge resources put up with a 15% downtime on one of their profit centers, if it wasn't profiting by the money squeezed from their franchisees for the cost of repairs made by Taylor?
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I would have to agree with you. I would think that either McDonald's is either getting a kickback or maybe owns stock in Taylor.
 
My Dad owned a commercial repair service from 1978'ish until he retired in 1989. Most of his clients were fast food franchisees of Hardee's, McD's, Krystal and Ihop. He could fix any piece of equipment that a store had with the exception of plumbing (he refused to do that and after seeing some grease traps issues when I worked with him as a teenager, I know why!) It was rare for a franchisee to have their own maintenance people except for some of the larger ones (30+ stores) and they often used my Dad for the more complex issues. Of course, the machines were much simpler then and I don't know that he could really do much "work" on the machines of today except swap out circuit boards.

I worked in FF for most of my teenage years and can attest that every shake machine I dealt with was "broken" after about 8p. I wasn't waiting until closing time to clean it! ;)
 
Since I don't eat at Micky D's or any other fast food hamburger stores I will hazard a guess. I tried to buy a freezer over a year ago and there were none to be found at HD, Lowes, Best Buy, large appliance stores, etc. etc. etc. It appears there was a problem with people working during the pandemic AND there were limited parts available (most made in China that was also having the same problem).

If Mickey D's "ice cream" machines were breaking then I bet they had a repair parts availability issue too.

I prefer real ice cream anyway instead of those ersatz products.


Cheers!
 
Decent speculation, but this was a problem long before Covid.
 
I only go to get the $1 Large Fries on their app, seems to be a perennial coupon.
 
My favorite potty stop when on a driving trip, and I take many of them, is McDonald's. I always get a senior black coffee (I love their coffee) and a vanilla cone. Then back on the road to finish both while driving. I've done this routine many, many times.

Since they stopped selling salads, I don't buy the food.
 
aja8888 said:
My favorite potty stop when on a driving trip, and I take many of them, is McDonald's. I always get a senior black coffee (I love their coffee) and a vanilla cone. Then back on the road to finish both while driving. I've done this routine many, many times.

Since they stopped selling salads, I don't buy the food.
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23 years ago, when I was 43 yrs old, I went to a McDonalds drive through for a coffee. The young teeny bopper at the window ask me if I got the senior discount! I was so taken back, that I didn't say yes.:LOL:
 
Time2 said:
23 years ago, when I was 43 yrs old, I went to a McDonalds drive through for a coffee. The young teeny bopper at the window ask me if I got the senior discount! I was so taken back, that I didn't say yes.:LOL:
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DW and I were both 70 +/- at the time: The Teenybopper at the register suggested my "mom" pay and then we'd get the Sr. discount. DW was NOT amused. YMMV
 
rk911 said:
dunno but ours is still not permitting indoor seating despite that being allowed.
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Probably because they can not hire enough staff to fully open. Once the handouts end, if ever, people will go back to work. Around here we have retail stores closing early due to a lack of staff. Again I'm feeling the winds of inflation coming soon.
 
One of my closest friends from high school worked his entire career at the corporate office of a popular American fast food chain. He had many different roles over the years, but the last 10-15 years was in a role related to franchisee relations. Basically, his job was to collaborate with franchisee groups regarding improvements to keep the brand moving forward at a cost that the franchisees deemed reasonable.

He always told me that McDonalds has the WORST franchisee relationships in the industry because they unilaterally impose requirements with very little transparency as to the cost or benefit. I guess there's a certain arrogance that comes with the strength and longevity of the brand. In any case, when I watched the Johnny Harris video linked in the OP, it was precisely in-line with his description of how McDonalds treats their franchisees.
 
Taylor Machines

I believe These machines are the work horse of the soft serve business and are the top of the line machines.
Saying that, they do have a life expectancy and it’s around 10 years. After that, they rust out and must be replaced.
The businesses just need to suck it up and replace them.
 
aja8888 said:
My favorite potty stop when on a driving trip, and I take many of them, is McDonald's. I always get a senior black coffee (I love their coffee) and a vanilla cone. Then back on the road to finish both while driving. I've done this routine many, many times.

Since they stopped selling salads, I don't buy the food.
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My friend Al who I don't think is around anymore for many years met his buddies for coffee at 530am every morning at McDonalds for complimentary coffee. A number of seniors just order the coffee and sit for hours talking to each other.
 
Having had both of our vaccines and waiting the appropriate period, my wife and I stopped in the motorhome on a hot day last week. The RV was too big for the drive up so I went in to get two Oreo McFlurrys. Haven’t had one in years. It took forever for someone to notice me because everyone else was at the drive thru. Finally a really obese kid came out of the bathroom, grabbed two paper cups, and started making our treats. The machine didn’t stir in the oreos very well so he grabbed the big plastic spoons with his ungloved hands and gave it hell while he breathed hard all over them. I asked, “do you have any wrapped spoons that haven’t been touched?” and he got me a couple of wimpy spoons that would have broken on the first bite. So I took them out and warned my wife not to touch them until I had sanitized them. A word to the wise: Hand sanitizer on McDonalds cups will create runny rainbows of color all over your hands and vehicle. What a mess! I almost tossed them out the window. But they sure were good. Hopefully not fatal.
 
rk911 said:
dunno but ours is still not permitting indoor seating despite that being allowed.
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This should probably go under pet peeves. But, the McDonalds in my area do not have indoor seating open and that includes the restrooms. Just the drive thru is open. That is a huge disincentive to stop at MD on a long drive. If I had a dollar for every parent with kids who need to use the bathroom only to find it closed, I wouldn’t have to eat at MD.

A COVID plague on their restaurants.
 
I personally thing a McDonald's cheeseburger is a classic of American cuisine. It fits in a specific category, and will go down in history as an icon like the Philly Cheese Steak or buffalo wings.

And the ice cream isn't bad, either.
 
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