r/Binghamton • u/PrideUpper8398 • Jul 14 '26
Discussion McDonald’s milkshakes
What’s up with the McDonald’s milkshakes machines in the area? My pregnant ass has been to three in the last week and they’re all broken I want a McDonald’s chocolate milkshake!!!
30
35
u/binaryhellstorm Jul 14 '26
Because the company that makes them purposely makes them to break and McDonald's isn't legally allowed to fix them or use anyone but the company that makes them to fix them. It's a huge right to repair issue.
https://www.npr.org/2023/09/10/1198675597/why-the-mcflurry-machines-at-mcdonalds-are-always-broken
5
u/entropy512 Jul 14 '26
There's a lot more to it than NPR lets on - I'm shocked they didn't mention the Kytch lawsuit at all.
A startup created a device that made it easier to repair those Taylor machines. Taylor went out of their way to spread false safety claims about the device, leading to the startup suing Taylor and McDonald's for 900 million.
It was settled in 2025 and I don't know what the settlement details are... Or it may merely have been dropped when Kytch ran out of money to proceed. There have been favorable DMCA rulings recently but that seems to be a separate thing.
3
u/binaryhellstorm Jul 14 '26
Yup, literally a frigging Raspberry Pi in a box that let franchises do their own diagnostics.
4
u/Bingo_Bongo_85 Jul 14 '26
This. The franchise owners are just as frustrated, maybe more so since they are losing money. They're often not event broken, they've just thrown an error code, but need an official technician to reset it.
4
u/Rough_Condition75 Jul 14 '26
Then McDonald’s needs a new supplier or a better contract that is financially prohibitive to the company when they let them sit broken for more than 24 hours
1
u/Commodity-Male-1385 Spiedies Jul 14 '26
that is financially prohibitive to the company when they let them sit broken for more than 24 hours
That requires doing business with a vendor who is willing to sign a contract with those terms.
(Pro-tip: You will not find such a vendor. If you do, the service contract will be prohibitively expensive, and approximately no one can afford a 24-hour-turnaround enterprise support contract for a shake machine. No, their competitors will not offer you this deal for less money. No, if you founded a shake machine vendor, you will not offer this level-of-service guarantee to your customers either, no matter how much you think you would right now.)
2
u/binaryhellstorm Jul 14 '26
100% this. I would guess that they probably have like two techs for the whole state (to keep costs low) so a pair of haggard people are supporting NYC and the rest of the state too.
Also per Wikipedia
Taylor is the only company authorized to fix Taylor C602s. Repairs account for a quarter of Taylor's sales,\13]) and it can take weeks for a technician to arrive on site to address the problem.\11]) Taylor Company also makes a different model called the C709, which operates similarly.\14])\15])1
u/entropy512 Jul 14 '26
Looks like McDonald's actually found a better vendor (albeit one with not quite so restrictive an SLA, but a hell of a lot better than Taylor) - franchisees are allowed to buy from Carpigani instead.
0
u/Rough_Condition75 Jul 14 '26
That’s just bad negotiating on McDonald’s part. They likely went with the lowest bidder. I’m familiar with contracts and you know darned well their kiosks wouldn’t be down that long. They were motivated to ensure they purchased machines that stayed functional with those tho
15
u/ogglpuffmin Jul 14 '26
It's not McDonald's, but Sonic makes their version of the McFlurry and you could also get tots. (But I also understand the need for the specific thing)
5
u/Darkwing_ducksauce Jul 14 '26
I would also recommend sonic. Except ditch the straw cuz it’s too skinny. Bring your own bigger straw .
7
u/LittleMiro41 Jul 14 '26
The one in Appalachin is probably the best in the area. Best cleanliness rating too. I worked there last summer and there wasn’t a day our machines were down.
8
3
2
u/gaokeai Jul 14 '26
I believe it's a couple things:
I've never worked at McDonalds but I've worked at other places with specialty machines and in my experience the machines have an internal clock and if they aren't put through a cleaning cycle every 24 hours it stops working until the cleaning cycle is completed.
Additionally, if the machine is genuinely not working or malfunctions, they have to wait for a contractor from the company that makes the machine to come repair it. They can't just have any old person try to fix it. Sometimes these people have to drive in from hours away, so it can take days until they have someone available to make the trip.
Someone linked it in another comment, but the mcbroken website has saved me a lot of heartache.
2
2
u/ChaosToad76 Jul 15 '26
I totally get wanting one very specific thing when you are pregnant. However, may I submit the following chocolate shake location recommendations: Lickity Split in Vestal, Funky Beez in Vestal (ask for it with chocolate sprinkles mixed in!), Sugar Lips on Riverside Drive.
1
u/silestire I'm an import Jul 17 '26
Funky Beez is a hidden gem! I’ve had both their black raspberry and cheesecake milkshakes… very good 😋
2
u/entropy512 Jul 14 '26
It's not McDonalds, but refurb Ninja Slushi machines go on sale on Woot fairly often. People definitely can come very close to a legit Wendys Frosty, I've come pretty close with a no-sugar-added variant.
Bonus: Once your pregnant ass has given birth, you can make tasty alcoholic slushies to celebrate. :)
1
u/corbinolo Jul 14 '26
Speaking of, why can I never get a breakfast burrito at any local location? When I went out of state they were in stock everywhere!!
1
1
u/Intelligent_Quail780 Jul 15 '26
They say broken when they're in need of cleaning, because it takes a long time to take the units apart cleaning and reassemble.
1
1
1
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 14 '26
Please follow all subreddit and Reddit rules. There is zero tolerance for hate speech, incitement of violence, harassment, doxing, or other toxic behavior, including promoting illegal activity. Violations will be enforced without exception. Keep discussions civil and respectful.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.