McDonald's Denies Being Investigated For Why McFlurry Machines Are Always Broken

McDonald's has issued a statement after reports emerged suggesting that the US Federal Trade Commission was investigating why McFlurry machines are always broken in some of their restaurants.

You see, the Wall Street Journal had published an earlier report that stated that the McFlurry machine breakages were 'potentially in violation of anti-trust law'.

Obviously, it is something of a running joke that McFlurry machines are always broken.

This could be because they have to undergo extremely hot temperatures when being cleaned, and remain extremely cold when storing ice cream - and are quite difficult to fix and clean. However, the WSJ reported that the FTC sent letters to McDonald's franchisees to ask them why this is the case.

They said that the 'FTC enquiry is preliminary', but now McDonald's has released its own statement saying it has no reason to believe this is the case.

That statement reads: "Intrinsic to the interest in our soft serve machines is our fans' love of McDonald's iconic McFlurry desserts and shakes.

"Nothing is more important to us than delivering on our high standards for food quality and safety, which is why we work with fully vetted partners that can reliably provide safe solutions at scale.

"McDonald's has no reason to believe we are the focus of an FTC investigation."

Before all of this, a statement was released by Taylor Commercial Foodservice LLC, the company that makes the machines for McDonald's.

The company said that - although it tries to send out repairs specialists as quickly as it can - the waiting times have become longer as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The statement said: "A lot of what's been broadcasted can be attributed to the lack of knowledge about the equipment and how they operate in the restaurants,

"The machines are built up with a lot of interconnecting parts that have to operate in a complex environment and manner."

The source that the WSJ spoke to, who is reportedly familiar with the FTC's correspondence with McDonald's franchisees, said that the investigation - if there even is one - is in very early stages, and pertains to 'how McDonald's reviews suppliers and equipment, including the ice cream machines, and how often restaurant owners are allowed to work on their own machines.'

In that letter sent out to owners of restaurants, the FTC pointed out that 'the existence of a preliminary investigation does not indicate the FTC or its staff have found any wrongdoing.'

So, the McFlurry machines aren't in hot water just yet, which is probably for the best, as they might just break down.

Featured Image Credit: McDonald's

Topics: Food And Drink, US News, mcflurry, Weird, McDonald's

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim