McDonald’s soft serve machines are such a joke that I don’t even need to come up with something funny to say about them. They’re always broken, or “broken,” to the point of being an internet punching bag. McFlurries are the unicorn of the fast food world: simply discovering one in the wild makes it taste like the finest dessert three dollars and 49 cents can buy. As a food humor writer I’m always grateful for the softball material—especially when it’s about the biggest fast food restaurant in the world by a long, looooooong mile—but McDonald’s franchisees are sick and tired of these broken-ice-cream-machine shenanigans, and they’re not going to take it anymore.
As reported by Business Insider, earlier this month at the annual National Owners Association meeting for McDonald’s franchisees, Tyler Gamble, a franchisee and leader of the chain’s National Supply Leadership Council (NSLC) equipment team announced the creation of a brand-spankin’-new McFlurry task force, and you know that when someone forms a task force, shit has officially gotten real.
“I will not feel that my tenure as your equipment lead has been a success unless we find a way to ensure that McDonald’s is no longer the butt of the joke, even with their own social media team,” said Gamble who, if successful, will more than likely end up on the short list for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The task force has stated that no options are off the table to improve McFlurry performance, including expanding the use of Kytch, a device that can be added onto McDonald’s existing soft serve machines that can correct minor malfunctions and report detailed system information on equipment failures. The system is already in use at some locations, but McDonald’s corporate has not made it a required purchase for all franchisees.
“[McDonald’s] remains committed to providing a restaurant experience that our customers expect, and that includes being able to purchase the sweet treats they enjoy from our dessert menu,” said McDonald’s in a statement. A special task force and commitment to providing a restaurant experience that customers expect? I don’t know about you guys, but I am brimming with optimism, and I sincerely hope the issue will get sorted in time for Shamrock Shake season. I haven’t been able to get one for a few years now, and am so tired of being left out of the St. Patrick’s Day zeitgeist.