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The REAL Reason McDonalds Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken

Johnny Harris

8M subscribers • 1 video on Hallway

YouTube
  • Recommended by 8 people: 8 on Hacker News.
  • A classic. People kept recommending it from 2021 to 2024.
  • Presented by Johnny Harris, journalist
  • An opinion. It argues one side of a question engineers disagree on.

Beginner. No background in the topic needed.

13M views5 years ago8 recommendations

HardwareTools and practiceElectronicsEmbedded systems

Johnny Harris investigates the business and technology behind McDonald's ice cream machines, focusing on repair restrictions and the Kytch workaround device.

To start comparing quotes and simplify insurance-buying check out Policygenius: policygenius.com/johnnyharris Thanks to Policygenius for sponsoring this video! Check out Rashiq's interactive map of McDonalds Ice cream machines: mcbroken.com/ Join Newpress, our community-driven hub for creator journalism: newpress.com/go - where to find me - Instagram: instagram.com/johnny.harris/ Tiktok: tiktok.com/@johnny.harris Facebook: facebook.com/JohnnyHarrisVox Iz's (my wife’s) channel: youtube.com/iz-harris - how i make my videos - Tom Fox makes my music, work with him here: tfbeats.com/ I make maps using this AE Plugin: aescripts.com/geolayers/?aff=77 All the gear I use: izharris.com/gear-guide - my courses - Learn a language: brighttrip.com/course/language/ Visual storytelling: brighttrip.com/courses/visual-storytelling - about - Johnny Harris is a filmmaker and journalist. He currently is based in Washington, DC, reporting on interesting trends and stories domestically and around the globe. Johnny's visual style blends motion graphics with cinematic videography to create content that explains complex issues in relatable ways. He holds a BA in international relations from Brigham Young University and an MA in international peace and conflict resolution from American University. - press - NYTimes: nytimes.com/2021/11/09/opinion/democrats-blue-states-legisla… NYTimes: nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000007358968/covid-pandemic-us-… Vox Borders: youtube.com/watch?v=hLrFyjGZ9NU Finding Founders: findingfounders.co/episodes/johnny-harris-2esj3-c3pet-2pg4c-… NPR Planet Money: npr.org/transcripts/1072164745

Why it's here

8 people recommend this

What people say. Recommended as an excellent documentary on the right to repair and the monopoly surrounding McDonald's ice cream machines.

mimseeon Hacker News • Recommends

On “Let's get Right to Repair passed”

This. Check out the recent news on why McDonalds ice cream machines tend to fail. link to this video Spoiler: it’s because the machine is broken and only one authorized company is allowed to fix it
View on Hacker News

sackerhewson Hacker News • Recommends

On “Farmers Deserve the Right to Repair Their Tractors”

Making something that only you can repair can be quite a lucrative business. This documentary is quite interesting: McDonalds Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken: link to this video
View on Hacker News

dna_polymeraseon Hacker News • Recommends

On “Why the McFlurry machine company just got hit with a restraining order”

Kytch was also mentioned in this excellent mini-documentary about the whole topic: link to this video Worth watching, IMHO.
View on Hacker News

shum1on Hacker News • Recommends

On “New emails released in the McDonald’s ice cream machine lawsuit”

Relevant link for those who want more context on the constantly broken McDonald icecream machine situation: link to this video I don't think the WIRED article isn't really doing justice to what Kytch is trying to show. The important argument is whether or not McDonald and Taylor conspired to prevent Kytch from selling / franchisees from purchasing this equipment, essentially a 'right to repair' argument. If Kytch wins, there could be ramifications for the tractor debate in the agricultural world as well.
View on Hacker News

fedreservedon Hacker News • Recommends

On “New emails released in the McDonald’s ice cream machine lawsuit”

link to this video This video did a good indepth investigation. From memory Taylors hq is within 5 miles of McDonald's HQ. To close for comfort when you see the type of shenanigans they go through to pad Taylors revenue
View on Hacker News

Aaronstotleon Hacker News • Recommends

On “iFixit Petitions Government for Right to Hack McDonald's Ice Cream Machine”

For anyone interested in a good video about this, there is YT video that details how the Ice Cream Machine's being broken is essentially a scheme that McDonald's corporate runs on their franchisees. Source: link to this video
View on Hacker News

synchronizingon Hacker News • Recommends

On “iFixit wants Congress to let it hack McDonald’s ice cream machines”

Johnny Harris (filmmaker journalist) made a great video on topic: link to this video In short, McDonald's continues to use these frequently malfunctioning ice cream machines due to their long-standing exclusive partnership with Taylor. The cost of repairs fall on the local franchise owners, not McD Corp.
View on Hacker News

mcdowon Hacker News • Recommends

On “We can now fix McDonald's ice cream machines”

Here's a great YT video on why McDonald's ice cream machines are always broken: link to this video TL;DW: there are some perverse incentives to keep them broken. Basically the owner operators are forced to use a particular brand by corporate. Corporate McDonalds has a deal with a particular ice cream machine company. That particular company is the only company owner operators are allowed to buy from, and the only company allowed to service the machines. And it's no skin off of McDonald's back for these machines to always be broken, the cost falls on the owner-operators.
View on Hacker News

Arbaleston Hacker News • Mentions

On “ArsTechnica has retracted the story about McDonald's Icecream”

This is a youtube video on the same topic. Inventor of this device tipped this youtuber off, and so the youtuber looks to confirm the reasoning behind the device. link to this video Long story short, McDonalds created a monopoly for the icecream machine company, and then they abused it. This device comes into play, then McDonalds tells Franchisees not to use it.
View on Hacker News

neonologicalon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Overkill objects for everyday life”

…one had a replaceable battery. You think that replaceable batteries disappeared because companies wanted to save costs? Sockets for batteries have been part of the design philosophy for consumer products for decades, the fact that these sockets are removed from phones is not a cost saving measure. This issue is much more widespread than you think: link to this video…
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gopalvon Hacker News • Mentions

On “Why the McFlurry machine company just got hit with a restraining order”

…e me ice-cream with the apple pie and whenever it breaks, you throw away a couple of gallons of the mixture to be safe. There was a deep-dive into this from Johnny Harris1, which dug through the manuals for the machine, sales projections from Taylor and why McD franchisees are easier marks for this than others (the revenue volume is huge). 1 - link to this video…
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esseeayenon Hacker News • Mentions

On “The Feds Want to Know What the McFuck Is Going on with the McFlurry Machines”

I had a look at what machines they use here in Australia and they seem to be similar to Taylor machines that they showed being used in the USA (this video: link to this video ). However, they almost always seem to be working without issue. If they are almost the same machine (would be for 240v) then I guess I’m glad that whatever is going on in the USA hasn’t reached here. Now the frozen drinks machines (slurpee, slushie, slush puppies) are down a lot more often but even then it isn’t down as much as the ice cream machines in the USA. But talking about McDonald’s McFlurry - in the USA do they still flurry it with the blending mixing spoon? They used to do that in Australia but now a McFlurry has no flu…
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chengizon Hacker News • Mentions

On “The Feds Want to Know What the McFuck Is Going on with the McFlurry Machines”

Just pointing out this is a Johnny Harris, who put out a video 1. I was wondering what the vice president has to do with McDonalds icecream machines. 1 link to this video
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ixwton Hacker News • Mentions

On “iFixit wants Congress to let it hack McDonald’s ice cream machines”

This video 0 alleges that McDonalds franchise are required to purchase a specific model of Taylor soft serve machine. 0: link to this video
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overtomanuon Hacker News • Mentions

On “iFixit wants Congress to let it hack McDonald’s ice cream machines”

There is a detailed video about it. Ultimately, conclusion seems like it is collusion between the two corporates to get profit at the expense of franchise owners The REAL Reason McDonalds Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken by Johnny Harris link to this video
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pengaruon Hacker News • Mentions

On “McDonald's Ice Cream Machine Hackers Say They Found 'Smoking Gun'”

One problem with your claims is this is pretty well documented as a uniquely McDonalds franchise problem at this point. Competing fast-food franchises serve similar frozen dairy products, in a similar staffing environment, without their machines constantly being out of service. This video covered the situation fairly well IIRC: link to this video
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