McDonalds customers who think staff are fobbing them off by saying the ice cream machine is broken have got it all wrong, according to a former employee.
Fast food fans often believe workers are lying when they’re told their favourite desserts are unavailable, because they reckon staff don’t want to clean the machines.
A study last year found that the most common customer complaint on Twitter for the restaurant chain was out-of-order ice cream machines.
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The gripes had overtaken “poor employee attitude” as the number one beef.
(Image: McDonald’s)
Now, however, one former McDonald’s manager has set the record straight about why the McFlurry machine never seems to be working.
Sarah Vaught, from Illinois, US, told the Wall Street Journal that the machines require a four-hour automated heat clean every night to zap any bacteria inside of them.
She said to get the machines ready for cleaning, workers have to remove and wash seven parts with a sanitising mix in a tiresome 11-step chore.
(Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Sometimes tired McDonald’s workers will begin the job before the venue has closed – telling customers that the machine is broken.
Former worker Courtney Bunting added: “Everything about the machine is just miserable.
“If someone came in 30 minutes before closing and ordered a McFlurry, would you want to risk something else splattering all over the area you just wiped?
“We’ve all been victimised by the ice cream machine.”
(Image: Getty Images)
At 24/7 Maccies branches, there is no way to clean the machine every day without disappointing some customers.
But the machines really are thought to be prone to breakdowns – with one in four branches telling fast food consultant Richard Adams that their kit was out of order.
Once broken, the McFlurry machines are also pricey to repair – so some franchises do not bother.
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