It turns out McDonald's employees may not be bending the truth when they tell customers the notoriously fickle machines used to make ice cream cones and McFlurry frozen desserts are broken.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has reportedly launched an investigation into the issue, probing why the machines seem to malfunction so frequently, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported that the federal agency sent letters to McDonald's franchises over the summer inquiring into the extent of the problem.
The machines are reportedly highly susceptible to breakdown and necessitate a lengthy nightly cleaning routine. When the cleaning cycle—which can take up to four hours—fails, the machines are unusable until a repair company dispatches a technician.
The FTC was specifically interested in learning how the fast-food chain reviews suppliers and equipment, and whether or not owners are allowed to administer their own repairs.
The issue of broken ice cream machines at McDonald's restaurants has become a cultural touchstone of sorts, in recent years. Last month, competitor Jack in the Box mocked McDonald's on its corporate TikTok account over the recurring breakdowns.
In 2020, a 24-year-old customer fed up with the pattern created McBroken.com, a website that codes every McDonald's in the country with either a green dot (ice cream machine is working) or red (machine is broken).