SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO
DAME DAMIAN: (Rapping) Welcome to McDonald’s. What’s your order, bruh? Can I get an Oreo McFlurry, yeah? We’re not serving ice cream right now. It’s broken at the moment. Can I get you something else? Oh, I knew you’re going to say that…
Yes, we’ve all been there – eagerly craving a delicious McDonald’s ice cream cone or McFlurry, only to be met with disappointment when the employee informs us that the ice cream machine is broken. It’s a frustration we’ve experienced time and time again, and it seems like a never-ending predicament. But why is it that McDonald’s ice cream machines always seem to be out of order? Let’s delve into this mystery and uncover the truth behind this ongoing issue.
The McBroken Dilemma
Speculation and conspiracy theories about the constant malfunction of McDonald’s ice cream machines have flooded Twitter and Reddit for years. The problem has become so notorious that a customer even created a website called McBroken to track which soft serve machines are out of service across the United States. But is there really a conspiracy, or is it just a series of unfortunate events?
According to Andy Greenberg, a journalist for WIRED who conducted an in-depth investigation, there is indeed more to this story. It all started when he received messages on the encrypted messaging app Signal from Jeremy O’Sullivan, one of the founders of a small tech startup called Kytch. Jeremy claimed that he had uncovered a massive corporate conspiracy within the world of McDonald’s.
The Secret Menu
So what did Jeremy O’Sullivan discover? Apparently, he had hacked into the McDonald’s ice cream machines and found a secret menu. However, this secret menu wasn’t about unique ice cream combinations; it was a passcode – a hidden feature that unlocked all the machine’s secret data. It was a revelation that shed light on the complexity of the issue.
The Business Side
But why would someone go through the trouble of hacking into the machines? Well, Kytch, the tech startup behind the discovery, had a vested interest in exposing this secret. As their device gained popularity among restaurants, including hundreds of McDonald’s locations, the major ice cream machine company, Taylor, started to view Kytch as a threat to their business.
Rather than developing their own connected ice cream machine, Taylor attempted to get their hands on a Kytch device and reverse engineer it. The situation escalated, involving fake names and private investigators, and eventually led to a legal battle between Kytch and Taylor, as well as some of its distributors.
McDonald’s Response
Throughout this ordeal, McDonald’s has stood by its initial claim that the concern revolves around the safety of its devices. On the other hand, Taylor has denied attempting to copy the Kytch device, stating that they merely wanted to analyze it for safety purposes. Yet, the release of internal emails during the lawsuit revealed Taylor’s attempts to replicate Kytch’s features.
The Real Tragedy
Amidst this legal drama, one thing remains clear – the focus seems to have shifted away from fixing the ice cream machines themselves. Rather than prioritizing the improvement of these machines to ensure they function reliably, both McDonald’s and Taylor appear to have been more focused on undermining Kytch’s business. As a result, the prevalence of out-of-order machines remains frustratingly high. According to data from McBroken, approximately 10% of ice cream machines are down nationwide, with even higher percentages in places like New York City.
So, the next time you find yourself craving a cone or a McFlurry, it’s essential to remember the underlying issues at play. It’s not merely bad luck or an isolated incident. The broken ice cream machines at McDonald’s are symptomatic of a larger saga involving corporate interests and legal battles. Hopefully, in the future, more attention will be given to resolving these problems for the sake of all those who are longing for a taste of McDonald’s sweet frozen treats.
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Image: McDonald’s Ice Cream Machine – Source: Pixabay
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