1/ Here’s the truth about McDonald’s ice cream machines. Next time you see someone recycling false, inaccurate info or lame jokes, drop them this thread. Bookmark it. Share it. Let’s set the record straight. 🍦 2/ I was interviewed for the original (& follow-up) story featured in WIRED. While I don’t defend the Taylor machine (it’s overengineered & can be unreliable), much of what you’ve heard is incorrect.

Ever wonder why @McDonalds Coke tastes BETTER than anywhere else?

It’s not in your head. McDonald’s goes above and beyond to make their drinks elite. They even have their own division at @CocaCola HQ - no one else does.

Let me break it down. 🥤🧵👇 1/8 First up: THE EQUIPMENT.
McDonald’s uses specialized equipment (Multiplex) to pre-chill not only your water but your syrup. You can see in this video that there is a 4 inch ice bank around the copper tubing. If you mix cold water with room temp syrup - you lose some carbonation & bite. This is the heart beat of the Diet Coke you love. Very very few restaurant chains have this $25k setup. 2/8

I have some free time this morning:

A @McDonalds AMA, just don’t ask who I am or where I’m located…lol

Feel free to ask questions below or DM me. I’ll try to keep it all on one thread. There isn’t a no refills policy in 2032, we are removing lobby drink stations.

I have encountered a few (like on one hand) that don’t do refills. Typically in an inner city.

First off, I’m not a fan of this layout, but let me explain why with a 🧵on the history of @mcdonalds recent remodels & context from my experience.

In 2018, $MCD aimed to transition from a “legacy QSR” to a “modern QSR.” This kicked off a historic remodel program to modernize 14,000+ restaurants in just 5 years—a monumental feat and $7,000,000,000 1/7 This was a jaw-dropping $7 billion remodeling initiative (my calculations) split about 50/50 between franchisees and MHQ.

MHQ partly funded this through the 2017 sale of its China business to CITIC Group & Carlyle Group for a little over $2 billion. Franchisees funded it through cash flow or debt. Projects ranged from $250k to $1M depending on if it was lobby vs lobby + outside. 2/7

The NOA may have some demands & Corp may not like their demands but for any news outlet to say that the $MCD franchisees are disenfranchised or have a different view of Corp vs 1 month ago is incorrect.

Many operators I’ve spoken to are very positive abt their Corp relationship $MCD operators are just as worried as other small business owners. We aren’t exempt from the difficulties of cash flow issues due to COVID.

Joe is very highly respected & valued to the operators. We can disagree on issues & not be viewed as a disfunctional bunch