McDONALD'S OFFENSIVE NOTE TO STAFF

McDONALD’S France was forced to apologise on Wednesday after an internal note reportedly ordered staff not to hand out food to “tramps” was posted online.

The note was posted on Facebook by French consumer group 60 Millions de Consommateurs, which translates to “60 Million Consumers”.

“Following an incident on July 25, it is formally forbidden to give food to tramps,” says the note, which is signed by the management of a restaurant in the
French Riviera.

“As a reminder, staff meals must be eaten on the premises. Staff meals are a personal benefit and should only benefit the staff member in question,” the note continued.

“McDonald’s is not here to feed all the hungry people in the country! Any diversion from the procedure cited above will result in sanction that could lead to dismissal.”

The association cited on its website a McDonald’s employee who said he had given some of his food to homeless people outside the restaurant last month.

“The smile of the people to whom I gave my meal was priceless,” the consumer group quoted the staff member as saying.

The note posted on the 60 Million Consumers Facebook page. Source: Facebook

The French branch of the fast-food chain responded in a statement: “After a serious incident with homeless people on the evening of July 25 in front of the McDonald’s in Hyeres, the restaurant sent out a note to prevent these incidents and to ensure its clients’ safety.

“The procedure and the wording was clumsy and the management swiftly withdrew the note. McDonald’s contacted the restaurant to apologise to anyone who might have been shocked by this note and to recall that the chain is there to serve any client, without distinction.”

McDonald’s Australia spokesman Chris Grant told news.com.au that there was no official company policy in Australia when it came to staff offering food to homeless people.
“Our staff get discounted meals during their shifts,” he said.

“Eighty-five per cent of our restaurants are franchisee, so some licensees might choose to give staff meals when they’re not working, but typically they get a discounted meal during work hours.
“Anyone is welcome in our restaurants and we’re always happy to help out where we can.”

While news.com.au understands some McDonald’s restaurants offer free or discounted items to regular elderly customers, Mr Grant said he was not aware of any specific circumstances where this had occurred.