This story has been updated since it was originally posted on 04/14/2021
Ah, a vanilla cone from McDonald’s: the delicious, classic summer treat we all know and love. If you’re lucky enough to pull up to McDonald’s when the machine is actually working, there’s no doubt you’re in for a tasty treat. However… there is one thing employees think you should know before you order the ice cream—it may make you reconsider.
The always-disturbing fast food Reddit chain captured some particularly gruesome details about the sweet treat that might turn you off the chain’s ice cream for a while (or even for good).
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When one user asked fast food employees about the one menu item they would never order from the restaurant they work at, a McDonald’s worker shared an enlightening (slightly disturbing) insight about their ice cream. “I work at a McDonald’s,” a Reddit user called razzi123 posted in March of last year. “While there isn’t much that I wont eat (I just have stupid low standards for food) There are some…riskier things to eat,” they continued.
When we think of “risky” McDonald’s meals, our brains immediately go to the possibility of burgers that are less than fresh, high-calorie breakfasts, or French fries that have been cooked in old oil. Honestly, the ice cream is just about the last thing we’d expect to be warned about. But of course, Reddit proved us wrong.
“There’s a reason that the ice cream machine is down a lot,” the employee said. “Sometimes it’s for legit maintenance, other times though, it’s to clean out the mold that likes to grow in the liquid mix.” Wait… did we read that right? The mold?
“I only found out after a year, was filling it one day and looked down,” they explained, noting that what they saw was borderline traumatizing. “The stuff I saw was nightmare fuel and ruined me on their soft serve for a while.”
Sounds like that machine was in need of some serious deep cleaning… but it may have never gotten it. The user noted that their boss dismissed the problem. “I had said something about it. ‘First shift will get it tomorrow,” they wrote. Yikes! That is pretty gross.
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It's hard to say whether or not this was an isolated incident or something that happens frequently at the fast food restaurant. But given other comments from employees, which have indicated similar issues with the coffee machines, we wouldn't be surprised if this was a common theme at McDonald's—or any similar chain.
While cleanliness and health are typically factors you're willing to risk if you order any sort of fast food, it's still always slightly shocking to hear these horror stories. Next time we're craving a McDonald's cone, it's likely we'll just think of the "nightmare fuel" this employee saw and go with an apple pie instead.
