When will McDonald’s milkshakes be back in British stores?

The fast-food chain has run out of milkshakes and bottled drinks in all its 1,250 British outlets after being hit by supply chain shortages

McDonald’s (Nick Ansell/PA) (PA Wire)

McDonald’s have not been able to put a time frame on when their signature milkshakes will be back on the menu, but simply said they were working to return them “as soon as possible”.

The fast-food chain has run out of milkshakes and bottled drinks in all its 1,250 British outlets after being hit by supply chain shortages.

A spokesperson for the retailer told The Independent in a statement: “We are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products. Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.

“We apologise for any inconvenience, and thank our customers for their continued patience. We are working hard to return these items to the menu as soon as possible.”

Dairy giant Arla confirmed to The Independent yesterday that they had been asked to stop supplying milkshake mix to McDonald’s, after the fast-food outlet had to prioritise other items on their menu for delivery.

A spokesperson for Arla said: “We are working closely with McDonald’s to ensure we support them as they navigate the supply chain issues faced by retailers across the UK.

“We can confirm that we have been asked to temporarily pause our UK production of the McDonald’s milkshake mix while McDonald’s looks to assure supply across its broader menu.

“We are ready to support McDonald’s as soon as milkshakes return to the menu.”

Devoted fans of the restaurant chain have been devastated by the shortage of milkshakes.

One customer said on social media on Monday: “I just went to McDonald’s - they’ve got no milkshakes and the fizzy drinks ‘might be flat’. What is going onnn?!”

Another told an ITV film crew that he was “devastated” after turning up to a McDonald’s drive through to find there were no milkshakes.

One disappointed fan shared an image of her attempted online order, with “sold out” showing next to every milkshake flavour.

The product shortage has been caused by a shortfall in the number of lorry drivers, and a resulting lack of space in the transport vehicles.

An updated statement from the chain said it was “working hard” to limit the impact of the supply chain crisis on deliveries and customers and that it had taken some items off its menus for now.

A spokesperson for the company said: “As reported, a number of issues are impacting retailers in the UK at the moment, one of which is the nationwide shortage of HGV drivers.”