[syntheweave]

I would hazard a guess that the economics of franchising made it so that corporate's priority was for franchisees to be dependent on their existing centralized and proprietary systems (equipment, supplies, etc.) - and therefore unless you could carve out a sweetheart deal like the unmaintainable McFlurry machines you were not desirable. After all, introducing anything new is just a risk to the existing, profitable business model. Much like how working from home was "impossible" until it was required.

Fast food has been in need of a shakeup for some time, anyhow. The quality bar across restaurants as a whole has kept getting pushed upwards but there's hardly any difference between the fast food chains of 1980 and now, other than brand designs, a token "healthy" option, and recipe changes for cost.