McDonalds is facing a backlash in the UK for refusing to serve a man who wanted to buy food for a homeless girl outside the restaurant- and it isn’t the first time the corporation has been caught implementing this cruel policy.
In May, there were two cases in the same week, both in the city of Manchester, England, where the council is waging war against homeless people on every level. A teenage girl named Charlotte Farrow, and Daniel Jackson, a 27 year-old man, both complained that the Oxford Road branch of the global fast food chain had refused to serve them. Charlotte was trying to buy breakfast for an elderly homeless man, while Daniel was denied service because he’d just finished work and ‘looked homeless’. At the time, McDonalds released a statement to the Manchester Evening News, claiming: “It is not a McDonald’s policy to refuse to serve homeless people and all staff have been reminded of this.”
But just this week, it happened again in nearby Bolton. Anil Barber, 38, wanted to buy a cup of tea and a burger for a homeless girl outside the China Gardens branch of the restaurant. He was denied service by staff, who told Barber they “didn’t want to encourage begging.”
Anil told Metro news:
“I felt sorry for the girl as soon as I saw her. She’s only young and she was sat with her arms round her knees, shaking because she was wet through from the weather. I asked her if she wanted anything and she asked me to buy her a cup of tea. It was the least I could do for her.”
Anil had already ordered his own food, but when he returned to the counter he got quite a shock. “I was told by the manager that I wasn’t allowed to buy her anything as she’s homeless and I was encouraging her to beg,” he says.
The manager wouldn’t back down, so Anil gave the girl £10 instead.
“I’ve seen her around a few times and I always try and give her something if I can,” he said, adding: “It was outrageous, I couldn’t believe what a jobsworth he was being.”
When asked for a statement by Metro, McDonalds admitted they denied the girl a warming cup of tea but denied her homelessness had anything to do with it. A spokesman told the newspaper:
“There is no policy of banning homeless people at McDonald’s. The circumstances surrounding this individual’s ban have no link to her being homeless and our restaurant team acted in the interests of the safety of our customers and employees. We apologize if this was not made clear at the time.”
Whatever they say, the company’s refusal to serve homeless people is becoming a regular occurrence, especially in the UK.
Have you experienced anything similar at a McDonalds restaurant? Let us know in the comments below, and please share this story to shame the fast food chain!
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