We had sundaes after school registration last week.
For the longest time every time I’d go to Wendy’s the frosty machine was down.
Knowing that, and knowing the level of motivation of the average McWorker, I am pretty relieved that I never buy ice cream from those places. Presumably the alternative to saying the machine is broken is serving ice cream from a gunked-up old machine that hasn’t been properly cleaned in god knows how long.
About once a month, I buy a McDonalds Oreo McFlurry sold at most locations here in Tokyo. No broken machines in sight.
I can’t even remember how many times I’ve visited a McDonald’s wanting a sundae or a cone or a milkshake only to have their machine down. They must be ridiculously unreliable or perhaps there is indeed a conspiracy…
I thankfully put my tour of duty in after the era of machines that you had to break down every night, these actually heated the mix at the end of each night to keep it safe, or some such nonsense. They had an onboard screen though, that would lock the machine out when you had to take the entire thing apart and clean it. If you didn’t do it that day, it just wouldn’t make ice cream anymore, and you’d have to do it then.
So I became the Ice Cream Machine Technician ™ of our store, it was specialized knowledge, apparently. Anyway, if you came in there on Sunday wanting ice cream after church, you were basically screwed. Depending on what tiny rubber gasket I lost, or what piece the stupid maintenance calendar said I was supposed to replace, or running out of the gross food-grade lubricant that sucker is COATED in, I may not have had it done until 1 or 2 PM. You’re on your own if all the 14-year-olds called in and you have to get pulled to the floor.
And sometimes the thing just BROKE. Compressor went out, or some widget broke, and out came our maintenance guy(s) to fix it. One was terribly cute… This also probably had something to do with the fact that we were the oldest store in the district and were neglected, in regards to equipment and upkeep.
</trip down memory lane>
I think there’s a consipracy at Wendy’s too - I haven’t been able to get a chocolate frosty in months.
If it gave big profits, it would work all the time. Most comes from drinks and fries. They do not go down.
Of course there is, it’s just directed against the original poster that’s all
McDonald’s is also apparently in the grips of a crushing Toppings Embargo that forces them to ration out a couple of drops of hot fudge on a “sundae.” Where’s a good blockade runner when you need one?
Must be related to The Great Ketchup Crunch.
Here’s the real deal circa '87. We had a whole shift of second shift closers. Most of us were high schoolers and all had school in the morning. Often times, in fairness to his or her shift, depending on traffic (volume) our manager would order us to start breaking down the Shake and ice cream machines early to fully clean and sterilize the intricacy of screws and valves. It was in Pity to get us out before 12:000 - 1:30 A.M or much later, depending.
I do guarantee, that machine was spotless. A dirty ice cream machine is a huge health risk. My McDonald’s never cut any corners.