McDonald's restaurant at night
Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
December 18, 2023 Âˇ  3 min read

A McDonald’s Restaurant in the UK Banned All Under-18s From Entering After 5 pm

A McDonald’s fast food joint has banned everyone under the age of 18 to enter the restaurant after 5 pm. The motive behind it is to curb instances of anti-social behavior. The restaurant’s Church Street branch in Liverpool imposed the ban. The fast-food giant stated that they took the decision after a lot of deliberation. The ban would definitely assist the employees who have been repeatedly subjected to abuse.

Just the previous week, a spokesperson for the company stated, “Over recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of incidents of anti-social behavior in the area with our people being subjected to verbal and physical abuse. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to crime and anti-social behavior, and have temporarily restricted restaurant access to U18s from 5 pm. This decision was not taken lightly and we are working closely with the police to find a resolution and help reduce these incidents.”[1]

According to the latest reports, McDonald’s has close to 36,000 branches throughout the world. Almost 1,300 of them are located in the United Kingdom. Most of these restaurants offer a 24-hour service. Therefore, they are quite popular with the nighttime revelers in this area. These restaurants also have security staff in the evenings that are present to tackle anti-social behavior. The previous week also saw the company increasing the price of their 99p cheeseburger to 1.19 pounds. The company stated that the price increase was due to inflation. Alistair Macrow, the Chief Executive Officer for McDonald’s UK & Ireland, mentioned that the price increase was necessary. The business, according to Statista, was worth $175.5 billion and was going through some turbulent times.[2] 

Read: KFC employee sets internet ablaze with behind-the-scenes food prep video: ‘I wish I never saw this’

McDonald's at Church Street, Liverpool
Image Credits: Google Maps

McDonald’s To Increase The Price Of Cheeseburger

Although the rules are specific for the Liverpool branch, they might set a precedent throughout the country. Nevertheless, the restrictions imposed by McDonald’s are temporary. The fast-food company stated that they were working with the local police to reduce the incidents.

One customer mentioned, “As I was leaving the security guard stopped a man he believed to be a teenager and told him they weren’t allowing people under 18 into the restaurant after 5 pm without an adult with them. The man told the security guard he was in his 20s so he apologized and explained that the new company policy meant he couldn’t let groups of teens in on their own.”[3]

The customer also stated, “I was in the town the night before and there were large groups of kids all over Liverpool One and they were moved on a number of times by security near the cinema and in Chavasse Park”. Macrow had mentioned, “Just like you, our company, our franchisees who own and operate our restaurants, and our supplies are all feeling the impact of rising inflation”.

The CEO also went on to state, “At times like this, we know that providing great value is important. Since we opened in the UK in 1974, we’ve committed to offering great tasting food at affordable prices, and that commitment will not change. But today’s pressures mean, like many, we’re having to make some tough choices about our prices. This summer, our restaurants will be adding between 10p and 20p to a number of the menu items impact most by inflation. From today, we’ll be increasing the price of our cheeseburger for the first time in over 14 years, taking it from 99p to 1.19 pounds. Some prices remain unaffected, and some will continue to vary across our restaurants.”

Keep Reading: McDonald’s Replaces Some Drive-Thru Workers With AI

Sources:
1. “McDonald’s bans under 18s from restaurant after 5pm unless they are with adult.” Lancs. Jon Macpherson and Benjamin Roberts-Haslam. August 1, 2022.
2. “McDonald’s bans under-18s after 5pm from restaurant over ‘physical and verbal abuse’ of staff.” Independent. Matt Mathers. August 2022.
3. “McDonald’s Restaurant Bans All Under-18s From Entering After 5pm.” Lad Bible. Jess Hardiman. July 30, 2022.