ABC‘s Andy Field - September 2 , 2021 - KRDO‘s Afternoon News

When was the last time you wanted a shake with your fires -- or a McFlurry for dessert at McDonald's?  And were you actually able to get it?   The conspiracy theories are mounting and now the feds have had it with McDonald’s broken McFlurry machines. The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating why the burger chain’s ice cream machines break down so often, a matter that’s become the butt of late-night TV jokes and viral social media posts.  The FTC contacted McDonald’s franchise owners this summer seeking information on what the problem is with the chain’s ice cream machines.  The franchisees have had it too.  “We are tired of being the butt of late night jokes. So are our customers and crews,” The National Owners Association, a group of franchisees, said in a May message to owners.  And lest you think this is a frivolous matter keep this in mind: those ice cream machines (when they're actually working) account for a whopping 60% of the chain’s dessert sales in the U.S.  As one woman said "“I’m beginning to wonder if this McDonald’s even has an ice cream machine,” an Atlanta customer tweeted about her local outlet. “It’s been ‘broken’ so long that I’m coming up with conspiracy theories.”  Wondering about your local Mikki D's? There's an online tracker called ‘McBroken’ that monitors the outages across cities so you can check the status saving yourself the devastating disappointment of pulling up and being denied.