McDonald's

Why your favorite McDonald's espresso drinks might be off the menu for a bit

It’s not just the ice cream machines: Some McDonald’s espresso machines are now out of commission, too.

McDonald’s restaurant
Mario Tama/Getty Images

You might want to think again before heading to McDonald’s for your espresso fix.

After McDonald’s supplier Melitta informed its customers of a potential equipment safety risk for one of its machines, the fast-food giant has decommissioned these machines from its restaurants, McDonald’s confirmed to TODAY.com on Nov. 20.

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Espresso-based menu items such as hot and iced lattes may not be available in impacted restaurants, but non-espresso based beverages, like hot and iced brewed coffee, will still be available, the company confirmed.

McDonald’s said a limited number of beverages were affected, and that it is still working to determine the scope of the impact.

Several stores listed its espresso-based products as unavailable across Brooklyn and Manhattan on Nov. 20, according to the McDonald’s app.

A Melitta spokesperson said in a statement to TODAY.com that the company recommended its customers to temporarily stop using its CT8 Espresso Machines.

“We are investigating the two impacted machines. Our intent is to determine the root cause and provide a remediation plan that allows us to move forward,” the spokesperson said.

The temporary stoppage of using its espresso machines came days after the company announced it would be investing $100 million to get customers to return to its restaurants after an E. coli outbreak linked to slivered onions used on its Quarter Pounder burgers sickened more than 100 people last month.

Some customers may be surprised to see that McDonald’s is having trouble with a machine that isn’t its ice cream machine.

McDonald’s fans have lamented for years over how often the company’s ice cream machine appears to be down or broken, leading to internet users to take matters into their own hands, like the “McBroken” map, which uses data from the McDonald’s app to show where ice cream products are “currently unavailable.”

But things may be looking up on the ice cream front: Last month, the United States Copyright Office granted a copyright exemption that allows restaurants using a copyrighted machine the “right to repair” it by circumventing digital locks on the device.

McDonald’s didn’t respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com on the development in October, but previously said in a statement that sales data from the past few years has shown its ice cream machines are up and running around 95% of the time across the country, depending on location.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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