Wendy's is roasting McDonald's again — this time over broken McFlurry machines
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
- Wendy's says it will continue to offer its Frosty dessert for $1 through the end of the month.
- It took aim at McDonald's in its promotion, accusing its rival of having broken ice cream machines.
- Wendy's has previously criticized McDonald's for using frozen beef, sparking a public feud.
The Wendy's-McDonald's feud seems to be heating up again.
This week, Wendy's took aim at its fast-food rival by announcing that it would to continue to serve its small-size Frosty dairy dessert for $1 through the end of the month.
The 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 wrote.
To promote the deal, Wendy's said it has partnered with website McBroken.com, which tracks whether the ice cream machine that makes McFlurries is broken down at a customer's local McDonald's.
Without directly naming McDonald's, Wendy's said: "The craving for a sweet treat can strike at any time, but if fans are planning to order from the other guys they might want to avoid lunch or snack time ... or really anytime between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when machines are most often unavailable, according to McBroken.com data."
It's not the first battle the chain restaurants have shared.
In 2018, Wendy's launched a national TV ad campaign criticizing McDonald's for using frozen beef patties in its hamburgers.
"The iceberg that sank the Titanic was frozen, too," the fast food joint said in a Super Bowl commercial that took a shot at McDonald's beef.
McDonald's then announced that it would make its quarter-pounder burgers with fresh beef in US stores.
This sparked a public reaction from Wendy's.
"Hey @McDonalds, heard the news," the rival posted on social media. "Happy #NationalFrozenFoodDay to you for all the frozen beef that's sticking around in your cheeseburgers."
Wendy's and McDonald's did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.