Jack in the Box on Thursday attempted to poke a whipped-cream-covered straw in the eye of McDonald’s during its iconic Shamrock Shake season.
The San Diego-based quick-service chain said it would be taking over the McBroken.com site — a website designed to disclose where ice cream machines were not working at McDonald’s restaurants. During the March takeover, the website will instead direct customers looking for a green milkshake to Jack in the Box for its limited-time Oreo Cookie Mint Shake, which is scheduled to be available in restaurants Thursday.
McBroken.com indicates that, on average, about 10% of the ice cream machines at McDonald’s 13,500 units across the U.S. have been broken since the annual St. Patrick’s Day-themed Shamrock Shake launched last month. The Chicago-based McDonald’s also brought an Oreo Shamrock McFlurry to menus for a limited time this year.
Why McDonald’s ice cream machines have developed a reputation for breaking down is complicated. According to Wired, the maker of a gadget to fix the recurring problem this week has sued McDonald’s for $900 million in damages, saying the fast-food giant has interfered with franchise operators attempting to fix their ice cream machines. McDonald’s told Wired last year that the company had safety concerns about the device.
Jack in the Box’s Oreo Cookie Mint Shakes are priced at a recommended $4.15 for a regular, and $4.68 for a large.
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