‘Don’t Get McShammed’: Jack in the Box Launches Savage Campaign Against McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines

We’ve all been there before.

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There are far fewer worse feelings than going to McDonald’s only to find out that the McFlurry or ice cream you craved couldn’t be yours because the ice cream machine broke down.

What started out as a joke and a bit of an urban myth (i.e., the ice cream machine always seems to be out of order) quickly gained traction in the mainstream, with one disgruntled customer even going so far as to make a broken ice cream machine tracker. online aptly called McBroken.com

Now, famed rival chain Jack in the Box wants to take advantage of the unreliable trackers and ice cream machines at Golden Arches by taking over McBroken.com for the rest of March.

Related: Wendy’s Slams McDonald’s Over Broken Ice Cream Machines

The new map for March will not only show which McDonald’s locations have working and non-working ice cream machines, but will also direct customers to the nearest Jack in the Box by labeling each location on the map.

Earlier this month, McDonald’s brought back its beloved Shamrock Shake, a mint-flavored green concoction that comes and goes every year around St. Patrick.

According to McBroken.com data, 10% of McDonald’s ice cream machines in the country have been down since the shake was reintroduced to customers this year on February 21.

Jack in the Box

In a bid to capitalize on the sweet persistent customer, the takeover of Jack in the Box will also serve to promote the new Oreo Cookie Mint Shake that is in direct competition with the famous Shamrock Shake.

“Even though we’re small … our machines work,” said Jack in the Box in the release.

The campaign comes at a controversial time for McDonald’s over its ice cream machine as the fast food giant has just been sued in a $900 million lawsuit by startup Kytch.

Related: FTC Investigate Why McDonald’s Ice Cream Machine Always Breaks

The company, which created the device meant to repair broken McDonald’s machines, got into it with McDonald’s in 2020 when the fast food chain asked franchisees to remove the device from all machines because of claims that “serious human injury” could occur as a result of product use.

“They have tarnished our name. They’re scaring our customers and ruining our business,” Kytch co-founder Melissa Nelson said in a statement to wired. “They are anti-competitive. They lied about the product they said they were going to release. McDonald’s has every reason to know that Kytch is safe and well. It is harmless, as they claim. So we sued them.”

McDonald’s was up 14.79% year-on-year as of Friday afternoon.