Map Shows Which Tampa Area McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Down

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With temperatures again this week in the mid 90s, this is good timing. If the Tampa Bay summer heat is causing a craving for a McFlurry or ice cream cone at McDonald’s, there’s a website that will let you know which of their Florida restaurants are NOT serving ice cream.

All Recipes says that when ice cream is unavailable it’s often because the machines are being cleaned. They say the ice cream machine that many McDonald’s restaurants use is the Taylor C602. It has a self-cleaning feature to make sure the ice cream you’re eating is safe. The problem they say is that self-cleaning process can take 4 HOURS and it is done every day. Crews often run the process at night so there’s no downtime during busy daytime hours.

This ice cream status website determines your general location when you first log in. This morning when I tried the site, a map popped up of the Tampa Bay region from Spring Hill to Sarasota and over to Lakeland. A large majority McDonald’s locations on the map had a green dot indicating ice cream operations are at 100%. But the map did show several red dots in Largo, St. Pete, Tampa, Land O’ Lakes, and Holiday.

Along the right side of the website appears nationwide statistics on McDonald’s ice cream machines. Turns out, at least according to their data, New York restaurants have the most machines down at 32.65% right now. Nationally they say 12.9% of the machines are not operating this morning.

I can’t verify how accurate the map is. I’m guessing they get the status updates from the McDonald’s mobile app, which does let you know if your favorite menu item is unavailable. So I would probably use the McDonald’s app for the most reliable info on the ice cream machines. Accurate or not, you’ve got to hand it to the creators of mcbroken.com for the idea. When you’re craving that hot fudge sundae or McFlurry, this can save you some time by making sure your closest McD’s machines are up and running. [Sources: McBroken, All Recipes]

I don’t really go here much. But any fast food spot with wings gets some love from me.

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I’m a longtime fan of Outback… even though I usually pass on their signature the Bloomin’ Onion. For all you get… steak, salad, a loaded baked potato, and that sweet bread, Outback is a deal.

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I’ve only been once. Not sure why… I did like LongHorn. I guess I’m just not close to a location.

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I’m never up early enough to do a real breakfast, but this looks good.

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I love their shakes and sliders.

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If I’m not too hungry I go to Panera. Their portion sizes are too small for this fatso. I love their cinnamon crunch bagels though.

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Not a bad pizza for fast food. But honestly I’m more of a Hungry Howie’s fan.

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If there were more locations, I bet this place would rank much higher. The buttered toast is always the first thing I chomp on.

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I don’t think I’ve been to one. But I’d probably be a fan.

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They sell fried cheese curds. And the ice cream is seriously good.

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We have one near the radio station, but I’ve really never been blown away by anything I’ve had here. But I like all the TVs to watch the game.

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Oh boy. How did this land in the top 10? I mean it’s ok. But Carrabba’s if far better and it didn’t even make the top 20. I will confess I do dig the breadsticks like the rest of the world.

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Lived on this stuff as a kid. I still pop by once in a while. I would definitely rank Zaxby’s higher though. Always amazes me how worldwide they are. Saw a bunch of them in Bogota, Colombia when I took a trip there this year.

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I don’t go here enough. I like that they use natural ingredients. And I’ve never had a bad burrito there. But I’m also a big fan of Moe’s Mondays… which didn’t make this list sadly.

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I’d go a lot more if they were closer to me. Tater tots are a highly underrated food.

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And now I’m gonna have the baby back ribs jingle in my head for the rest of the day. This dessert looks awesome.

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There’s always a visit on the way home after The Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party. I like the Baja Blast… and when they stuff Cool Ranch Doritos into their tacos, I’m in Heaven.

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Surprisingly McDonald’s didn’t make this list. You know they have to do more business than all these others combined. But I get the Burger King coming in so high on the list. Not a fan of their fries, but I do love the flavor of their burgers.

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I used to a much bigger Wendy’s guy. Since the pandemic, it seems like the service has taken a big hit more than any other fast food chain. The 4 for 4 though is a steal. And I’m a chocolate Frosty lover for sure. When I’m trying to be healthy, love their chili and a baked potato. But it irritates me to no end when I drove off and realize they didn’t put sour cream in the bag.

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My go to spot the day after the Tampa Bay Lightning win a home game. Free chicken sandwich with waffle fries and an ice water for $2? My pleasure.

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