Here’s Why McDonald’s McFlurry Machines Are Always ‘Broken’

McDonald's

It’s one of life’s mysteries that the McFlurry machine at McDonald’s is always mysteriously out of action right when you need one most.

In fact, hearing ‘Sorry the machine is down’ is all so common that social media is awash with disappointed customers who were denied their fix, but apparently there is a good reason.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, an employee of the fast food giant has explained precisely why the issue occurs with such annoying regularity.

Basically, and somewhat reassuringly, it is because Maccies are pretty thorough in cleaning the machine through an 11-part process.

The cleaning is no rushed job, taking four hours to complete on a daily basis.

The spokesperson told the WSJ:

We regularly service our soft-serve equipment during off-peak hours. Customers who come in during that time may encounter a longer wait time or soft-serve dessert unavailability.

She added:

[The cleaning process] involves combining a sanitizing mix with warm water, removing and rinsing seven parts, brushing clean two fixed parts for 60 seconds and wiping down the machine with a sanitized towel.

So in short, once the machine is being readied for cleaning it is too long a process to reassemble it quickly.

But the equipment is also reportedly pretty temperamental.

Richard Adams, a consultant to many of Ronald’s franchises collected data which shows 25% of locations had machines that simply don’t function properly, reports Thrillist.

So basically, if you want a McFlurry you’re best sticking to peak hours. Rocking up at midnight to satisfy your sweet tooth is always going to be a risk.

Maybe every store should invest in having two machines so that one is always available – we have needs damn it!

UNILAD