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I've commented on this previously as I worked as a jack of all trades for a McDonald's franchisee for years. The machines tanks and shaving cores must be disas

I've commented on this previously as I worked as a jack of all trades for a McDonald's franchisee for years. The machines tanks and shaving cores must be disassembled and cleaned every two weeks. They have a very intelligent series of sensors and internal mechanisms that make it impossible to defeat or cheat. This is not a low skilled job. I'd say it would be easier to change your cars oil than complete this. There's multiple gaskets and seals which need to be rotated quarterly in a tune up kit. While we were hiring at minimum wage the shake machine trained people were making 15$. I can only imagine what they're making now. I don't find the "cryptic messages" issue to be valid. New machines had new systems and codes, it wasn't malicious. Everyone had access to the manual and the Taylor provider in my region did some phone troubleshooting free of charge to prevent service calls. They even did free annual trainings. Mechanically older machines can have issues, and some franchisees can be stubborn about replacing them. However I believe the vast majority of the time the issue is the machine not being cleaned.

TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
Why are these machines so complicated? I thought you just need a few ingredients to make ice cream?
- wronglebowski 5y ago
  It's optimized for high capacity, high throughput, low planning, production. Do you sell 1 milkshake or 100 a day? Doesn't matter, the tank holds the mix and freezes it on the fly. Taylor machines can output hundreds of units an hour. Or none. It's always "fresh", there's waste when you clean the machine but other than that the ice cream you get has only been frozen seconds before being served. It's highly profitable, when the machine is operating correctly the base food cost is much lower than the other food categories(sandwiches and chicken) but not as good as soda and cookies.
- tapland 5y ago
  It's a pretty clunky machine and anything in the machinery making or dispensing the ice cream needs to be cleaned thoroughly for food safety reasons. A lot of people would find the disassembly and correct reassembly difficult. And there are huge incentives to just not do it.
AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
> This is not a low skilled job. I'd say it would be easier to change your cars oil than complete this. There's multiple gaskets and seals which need to be rotated quarterly in a tune up kit. While we were hiring at minimum wage the shake machine trained people were making 15$. I can only imagine what they're making now. Genuine question: Mom-and-pop shops used to somehow keep their frozen yogurt machines running with part-time teenager labor. What does this particular machine do that makes it so complicated? Is it complicated merely for the sake of "job security" on behalf of the ice cream machine vendor?
- wronglebowski 5y ago
  I'm vaguely familiar with the pay by weight frozen yogurt shops. I can't speak from first hand experience but I would say that if you had 6+ machines and that was all your business did it would be a non issue. A few locations, rotate your cleaning days, could be handled by one individual that services them all.
- SkyBelow 5y ago
  Is part-time teenager labor the same as low skilled labor? In general but also more specifically to the time period you were referencing? While teenagers generally have low experience, some of them are have the ability to perform at a level above low skill and are able to follow complex instructions. Look at any of them in more advanced classes who are performing academics at a level beyond what would qualify as low skill. These could've been the teenager running the machines at those mom and pop shops of yesteryear. It does lead me to question where are they working now and why not at McDonald's. Given a moment of thought I've already generated a number of hypothesis that might explain it, but I'm too lacking in relevant data to narrow them down.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

TedDoesntTalk 5y ago

Why are these machines so complicated? I thought you just need a few ingredients to make ice cream?

wronglebowski 5y ago
It's optimized for high capacity, high throughput, low planning, production. Do you sell 1 milkshake or 100 a day? Doesn't matter, the tank holds the mix and freezes it on the fly. Taylor machines can output hundreds of units an hour. Or none. It's always "fresh", there's waste when you clean the machine but other than that the ice cream you get has only been frozen seconds before being served. It's highly profitable, when the machine is operating correctly the base food cost is much lower than the other food categories(sandwiches and chicken) but not as good as soda and cookies.
tapland 5y ago
It's a pretty clunky machine and anything in the machinery making or dispensing the ice cream needs to be cleaned thoroughly for food safety reasons. A lot of people would find the disassembly and correct reassembly difficult. And there are huge incentives to just not do it.

AdmiralAsshat 5y ago

> This is not a low skilled job. I'd say it would be easier to change your cars oil than complete this. There's multiple gaskets and seals which need to be rotated quarterly in a tune up kit. While we were hiring at minimum wage the shake machine trained people were making 15$. I can only imagine what they're making now. Genuine question: Mom-and-pop shops used to somehow keep their frozen yogurt machines running with part-time teenager labor. What does this particular machine do that makes it so complicated? Is it complicated merely for the sake of "job security" on behalf of the ice cream machine vendor?

wronglebowski 5y ago
I'm vaguely familiar with the pay by weight frozen yogurt shops. I can't speak from first hand experience but I would say that if you had 6+ machines and that was all your business did it would be a non issue. A few locations, rotate your cleaning days, could be handled by one individual that services them all.
SkyBelow 5y ago
Is part-time teenager labor the same as low skilled labor? In general but also more specifically to the time period you were referencing? While teenagers generally have low experience, some of them are have the ability to perform at a level above low skill and are able to follow complex instructions. Look at any of them in more advanced classes who are performing academics at a level beyond what would qualify as low skill. These could've been the teenager running the machines at those mom and pop shops of yesteryear. It does lead me to question where are they working now and why not at McDonald's. Given a moment of thought I've already generated a number of hypothesis that might explain it, but I'm too lacking in relevant data to narrow them down.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]