Wendy’s takes aim at McDonald’s broken McFlurry machines with a $1 Frosty

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — McDonald’s has become notorious for its broken ice cream machines — there’s even an independent website that monitors broken McFlurry machines. So Wendy’s is taking advantage.

Wendy’s is selling small-sized, $1 Frosty frozen dairy desserts until September 30 — and it’s collaborating with McBroken, which reports which McDonald’s locations have broken ice cream machines.

The temporary price cut could also attract value-seeking customers who are not going out to eat as often and spending less when they do, causing fast food sales to slow and restaurant traffic to dip.

The Wendy’s Frosty “has been the go-to sweet treat fix when fans’ cravings strike, while the ice cream machines at the other guys are offline — often for two to three hours at a time,” the chain said in a release without directly mentioning McDonald’s.

Nearly 15% of McDonald’s ice cream machines are broken as of Thursday, according to McBroken’s data. The most frequent time they’re unavailable is between 11 am and 3 pm, with Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles being the most affected cities.

Wendy’s added its restaurants’ locations, represented by its logo, to the McBroken map to show fans where to get a “reliable and delicious option.” There’s also an ad on top of the website promoting the $1 Frosty special.

McBroken was created a few years ago by Rashiq Zahid, who was also frustrated by the lack of working ice cream machines at McDonald’s. He previously explained to CNN that it works by using data from the McDonald’s iOS and Android apps.

If the ice cream machine is offline, the McDonald’s app will remove the ice cream order from the cart, he said. When that happens, a red dot appears on mcbroken.com’s map indicating unavailability at that location.

In response, McDonald’s previously told CNN that “it is exciting to see customer passion translate into customer-innovated solutions to further make that experience a reality.”

The Wendy’s and McDonald’s war over cold dessert has been heating up in the past few years. Wendy’s has been adding limited-time flavors, from pumpkin spice to peppermint, as it looks to expand the Frosty’s popularity. McDonald’s also often promotes new flavors for its McFlurry but recently added a miniature size as customers keep searching for value.

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