McDonald's ice cream machines under investigation

The US government is now investigating claims about McDonald's ice cream machines. Photo / File

It's the wild theory that's been swirling for about as long as McDonald's has been making McFlurries.

For years Macca's – both here and in the US – have faced complaints that their soft serve machines are often broken, the company has even joked about it.

Now the US government is getting involved, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating complaints from Macca's franchisees.

According to the publication the FTC has contacted US franchisees for more information about McDonald's ice cream machines, such as how often they can do their own repairs.

The FTC has declined to comment and according to a letter they sent out, "the existence of a preliminary investigation does not indicate the FTC or its staff have found any wrongdoing".

US McDonald's says it has no reason to believe it was being investigated.

'Really weird' theory about broken machines

In April, US journalist Johnny Harris posted a 30-minute YouTube deep-dive into why McDonald's ice cream machines were always broken.

Harris was tipped off by an anonymous email that claimed there was a "deeper" reason that "no-one is asking".

The journalist – who admitted the theory was "really weird" if true – suggested it could be because the machines have a high breakdown rate that results in franchisees paying service and repair fees to the manufacturer Taylor Company.

A McDonald's US spokesperson told Harris that they were in the process of "testing a connectivity solution" by introducing a new ice cream machine "in the coming months".

Harris' videos echoed a survey of 100 McDonald's outlets in the US done in 2000 which found 25 per cent of them weren't serving ice cream menu items because of issues with the machine.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2017 that Macca's ice cream machines had to go through a four-hour cleaning cycle, with one former McDonald's employee telling the publication they were "miserable" to use.