MILAN – No espressos, cappuccinos, lattes and macchiatos at possibly thousands of McDonald’s restaurants in the US because of a safety issue with its Melitta espresso equipments. The German-based manufacturer informed restaurant owners on Monday that it was investigating a defect in a component of its CT8 coffee makers that could allow steam to escape and damage the part.
It urged McDonald’s to stop using the machines for up to three weeks while it looks into the issue and inspects the machines.
The problem was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. This was later confirmed by McDonald’s itself.
“We have moved quickly to decommission these machines in McDonald’s restaurants and are staying in contact with our supplier to resolve the issue,” McDonald’s said in a statement on Wednesday.
The chain said it is still investigating the scope of the incident but, in the meantime, espresso-based beverages like lattes and cappuccinos will be unavailable in affected markets.
“Melitta Professional Coffee Solution, to proactively ensure safety, has recommended a temporary stop use for the affected customers of the Melitta CT8 Espresso Machine. 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,” a Melitta spokesperson said in a statement.
The temporary stop only affects espresso-based drinks, while iced and hot brewed coffee are not affected and remain for sale, the fast food chain confirmed.
Coffee sales are a significant part of McDonald’s earnings, with 8 million cups served every day in its 14,000 restaurants across the U.S.
During McDonald’s Investor Day event last year, Jo Sempels, president of International Developmental Licensed Markets, called coffee a “very attractive category” because of its growth, as well as its high profitability and consumer habituation.
Last year, the company also launched a spin-off called CosMc’s focusing on speciality coffee.
