Some McDonald's locations in the U.S. are no longer serving espresso drinks because the machines have been shut down for safety reasons. CNN reported Wednesday.
Manufacturer Melita has told customers that its $3,000 espresso maker has safety issues.
McDonald's told the Post that it quickly retired the machines after Melita reported the problem. The exact safety issues plaguing the machine are unknown.
At affected restaurants, customers will have to go without their favorite espresso drinks, including lattes, cappuccinos, caramel macchiatos and Americanos. In the meantime, McDonald's customers can still order hot and iced coffee drinks.
McDonald's said it did not yet know the extent of the impact of the broken machine across its U.S. stores. But the problem appears to be widespread in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Pittsburgh, New York, and Tampa, Florida, according to CNN.
The manufacturer said it is currently investigating the cause of the problem with the Melita CT8 espresso machine.
A broken espresso machine surfaced after McDonald's recently won a victory that will help it repair broken ice cream machines faster. The chain's faulty soft serve ice cream system has become so notorious that there's even a dedicated website, McBroken, that tracks which stores have working machines.
Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski said last month that suspending espresso would be a blow to McDonald's business as it prepares for “another challenging year” ahead.
In July, the company reported its first quarterly same-store sales decline in four years as cash-strapped customers cut back on discretionary spending after years of stubborn inflation.
And coffee makes up a significant portion of McDonald's revenue, with the fast food chain selling about 8 million cups of Joe a day.
In December 2023, the burger joint announced that it would be piloting a spin-off specialty chain, CosMc's, with an expanded coffee menu.
“One of our focus areas has been to identify ways for McDonald's to participate in attractive and fast-growing categories, and we have focused on specialty beverages and coffee,” Kempczinski said at the time. spoke.
The espresso disaster comes as McDonald's is grappling with a reputational crisis after an E. coli outbreak led to a drop in store traffic and sales.
At least one person has died and more than 100 people have become ill after an outbreak linked to onions in McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The company recently announced it is spending $100 million on marketing efforts to win back its hardest-hit franchisees and customers.
