I'm not saying it is or isn't the real cause, I'm saying that's what I feel the OP was trying to convey. That's what I read in his comment. And I agree with yo

I'm not saying it is or isn't the real cause, I'm saying that's what I feel the OP was trying to convey. That's what I read in his comment. And I agree with you, it's likely got a way more pedestrian and human answer. The machines require some amount of maintenance or repair that is simply annoying. And eventually, people prefer to not be annoyed. So maybe one day, you just let the ice cream machine be broken instead of doing the annoying thing. Even if the store sells ice cream like gangbusters. The guy slinging cones for minimum wage isn't seeing a single cent difference if he sells 1 or 1000.