Fans say they love the texture of the McFlurry’s hard, crunchy candy and smooth, creamy, vanilla soft serve. (A 16-ounce McFlurry contains 930 calories and 128 grams of sugar, more than three 12-ounce cans of Coke, by the way.)
In the years since the McFlurry made its debut on the menu in 1998, it has garnered a cult following. And the cravings for it often come on suddenly and late at night. That may be part of the problem.
McDonald’s requires the machines to undergo a nightly automated heat cleaning cycle of up to 4 hours to destroy any bacteria in them. Getting the machines ready for the cleaning cycle is an 11-step process that involves combining a sanitizing mix with warm water, removing and rinsing 7 parts, brushing clean 2 fixed parts for 60 seconds and wiping down the machine with a sanitized towel. Once the heat cycle begins, it can’t be interrupted because the product is hot and under extreme pressure.
One survey found 25% of the restaurants weren’t serving ice cream because the machines were reported not to be functional. Downed ice cream machines is now the most common service-related complaint among McDonald’s customers.
Classroom discussion questions:
- What are the OM issues here?
- Have students had similar complaints? Suggestions?
