5 ms·

McDonald's ice cream machines, is the holy grail of the right to repair movement.

Spivak 3y ago
Yeah, can't believe that in 2023 the quest to find a sympathetic defendant for basic consumer protections laws is when the lack of protections harms corporate profits. This is bad for the people you are elected to represent -- snooze. This is bad for your stock portfolio -- we have to act now!
- Mountain_Skies 3y ago
  The issues with the ice cream machines at McDonald's go far beyond anyone's desire for profit and has become a cultural meme that anyone who has desired a frozen dairy products from McDonald's in the past decade can relate to.
  - dylan604 3y ago
    >anyone who has desired a frozen dairy products from McDonald's That's a sentence I wasn't expecting to read, ever. There are only two types of people that I have ever met that would fall into that category: kids, who don't know any better about what food stuff they eat, and addicts.
    - lukas099 3y ago
      Believe it or not, it is possible to be healthy and occasionally have an ice cream cone.
      - dylan604 3y ago
        As stated plenty of times elsewhere in these comments, the white cold squishy substance coming out of a McDonald's machine is NOT ice cream.
        MostlyStable 3y ago
        And yet, it is a thing that even healthy people can enjoy on occasion!
- networkchad 3y ago
  [dead]
Alupis 3y ago
> McDonald's ice cream machines, is the holy grail of the right to repair movement. This is not true though. Even with Right to Repair laws, McDonald's can and will force franchisees to use the approved machines, contract the approved repair vendor, and use approved parts. It's McDonald's decision, whether we agree with it or not. It's their reputation, and ultimately their wallet at stake. They can, and will contractually force franchisees to do what they want. That's how franchises are run. The reality is this is not a Right to Repair issue. This is a franchise contract issue.
- KerrAvon 3y ago
  That’s literally one of the questions at stake. If I buy a machine — whether I’m compelled to or not — why shouldn’t I have the right to fix it myself? A contract does not contravene federal or state law.
  - Alupis 3y ago
    > A contract does not contravene federal or state law It does in this case. If you do not follow McDonald's instructions and/or contract, they will terminate your franchise. As much as you believe a franchisee has a right to use whatever machine they want, and repair it with whatever parts they want, that's just not how franchises work. They are franchises, not individual restaurants. They do not get a choice over how long to cook the burgers, what size fries to offer, what grills to use, and what soft serve machine to use and it's sanitization standards. There's an approved parts and vendor list for everything in a McDonald's restaurant. Franchisees basically get a catalog of approved things they can use. McDonald's sells consistency above basically anything else. They have clearly decided having machines be inoperable is better than risking getting someone sick. The machine's are designed for inattentive employees with little to no training to operate effectively and safely. If the machine says "no go", then that's final. McDonald's wants that safety and consistency across all stores, and that is their right as the brand owner. No Right to Repair law will change the terms of franchise agreements. Franchises that refuse to honor their agreement will simply be terminated. That's McDonald's right. Honestly... as far as fast food franchises go, McDonald's is perhaps the most clean and consistent - given their massive size (double their next closest direct competitor). It's a marvel things are as safe as they are, given the varying quality and level of caring each franchise owner can have. People cut corners when things get tough. A franchisee with autonomy over things like deep cleaning of the soft serve machine will choose not to do it if they can sell more (quite literally what people are advocating for in this very thread). It's not their reputation and brand at risk, it's McDonalds'. Frankly, it's a good thing McDonald's exerts this level of control.

Yeah, can't believe that in 2023 the quest to find a sympathetic defendant for basic consumer protections laws is when the lack of protections harms corporate profits. This is bad for the people you are elected to represent -- snooze. This is bad for your stock portfolio -- we have to act now!

Mountain_Skies 3y ago
The issues with the ice cream machines at McDonald's go far beyond anyone's desire for profit and has become a cultural meme that anyone who has desired a frozen dairy products from McDonald's in the past decade can relate to.
- dylan604 3y ago
  >anyone who has desired a frozen dairy products from McDonald's That's a sentence I wasn't expecting to read, ever. There are only two types of people that I have ever met that would fall into that category: kids, who don't know any better about what food stuff they eat, and addicts.
  - lukas099 3y ago
    Believe it or not, it is possible to be healthy and occasionally have an ice cream cone.
    - dylan604 3y ago
      As stated plenty of times elsewhere in these comments, the white cold squishy substance coming out of a McDonald's machine is NOT ice cream.
      - MostlyStable 3y ago
        And yet, it is a thing that even healthy people can enjoy on occasion!
networkchad 3y ago
[dead]

Alupis 3y ago

> McDonald's ice cream machines, is the holy grail of the right to repair movement. This is not true though. Even with Right to Repair laws, McDonald's can and will force franchisees to use the approved machines, contract the approved repair vendor, and use approved parts. It's McDonald's decision, whether we agree with it or not. It's their reputation, and ultimately their wallet at stake. They can, and will contractually force franchisees to do what they want. That's how franchises are run. The reality is this is not a Right to Repair issue. This is a franchise contract issue.

KerrAvon 3y ago
That’s literally one of the questions at stake. If I buy a machine — whether I’m compelled to or not — why shouldn’t I have the right to fix it myself? A contract does not contravene federal or state law.
- Alupis 3y ago
  > A contract does not contravene federal or state law It does in this case. If you do not follow McDonald's instructions and/or contract, they will terminate your franchise. As much as you believe a franchisee has a right to use whatever machine they want, and repair it with whatever parts they want, that's just not how franchises work. They are franchises, not individual restaurants. They do not get a choice over how long to cook the burgers, what size fries to offer, what grills to use, and what soft serve machine to use and it's sanitization standards. There's an approved parts and vendor list for everything in a McDonald's restaurant. Franchisees basically get a catalog of approved things they can use. McDonald's sells consistency above basically anything else. They have clearly decided having machines be inoperable is better than risking getting someone sick. The machine's are designed for inattentive employees with little to no training to operate effectively and safely. If the machine says "no go", then that's final. McDonald's wants that safety and consistency across all stores, and that is their right as the brand owner. No Right to Repair law will change the terms of franchise agreements. Franchises that refuse to honor their agreement will simply be terminated. That's McDonald's right. Honestly... as far as fast food franchises go, McDonald's is perhaps the most clean and consistent - given their massive size (double their next closest direct competitor). It's a marvel things are as safe as they are, given the varying quality and level of caring each franchise owner can have. People cut corners when things get tough. A franchisee with autonomy over things like deep cleaning of the soft serve machine will choose not to do it if they can sell more (quite literally what people are advocating for in this very thread). It's not their reputation and brand at risk, it's McDonalds'. Frankly, it's a good thing McDonald's exerts this level of control.