McDonalds.., cross your legs unless u have time for a meal

[Deleted User]

I live in Gravesend. Normally I take the kids to McDonalds once a week, spending £13 a visit. I have a four year old and in spite of making sure he visits the toilet before leaving the house, sometimes we are walking into town and he urgently needs to 'go'. So I normally make a quick stop at McDonalds and use their toilet facilities, knowing full well I will be returning and paying pretty soon anyway.

Not any more it seems. Yesterday i was told (by the manager) that unless u buy something, u are not allowed to use the facilities. Its new policy apparently. Perhaps I will be alone in finding this a bit shocking. Altho I know my kids think its a big treat and fun to go to McDonalds.., I am not keen to have to buy a packet of chips (sorry french fries) if my son decides he needs the loo. They enjoy it, but its not exactly healthy food lol.

Obviously McDonalds has decided it can't afford the good will. I have decided I can't afford to go somewhere that refuses toilet facilities to a child.

Lokolo

You take your 4 year old to McDonalds every week???

StrongWork

Toilets only for the use of customers. Makes sense to me.

Inconvenient, but not outrageous.

Lokolo wrote: »

You take your 4 year old to McDonalds every week???

Now that you've boycotted McDonald's, I suppose now you can take him to Burger King instead.

aheaton46

It's fairly standard policy that pubs, restaurants, cafe's etc have toilets that are for customer use only. It costs them money to provide the facilities after all.

shellsuit

Can you not eat once he has been to the loo to save making 2 trips to McDonalds?

Norma_Desmond

I don't think it's outrageous having the toilet available only for paying customers; it would be annoying if you WERE having a meal and had to queue for ages after all.
Saying that, just once I nipped into a McDonalds to use their loo - it was in Milan and there were NO public toilets anywhere.

PZH

deannatrois wrote: »

Perhaps I will be alone in finding this a bit shocking.

Apparently so. Makes perfect sense to me I'm afraid.

deannatrois wrote: »

Obviously McDonalds has decided it can't afford the good will.

But it's not "good will" (nor are they "public" toilets) - they are for paying customers.

System

We've all dropped into Macdonalds for a cheeky toilet stop. However they are a business and are not providing a public toilet service so I don't see you can complain. Just because you visit a shop, restaurant or pub doesn't mean you can have access to their toilets 24/7

On a side note I love the judgemental parenting that comes in because you take your kid to macdonalds once a week! As if a once a week visit to Macdonalds is going to cause any harm!

Lightninge

I agree that it's all part of customer services, particularly somewhere that claims to be family friendly. The landlord of my local pub is happy for people to use the toilet without buying a drink, but he does get hacked off if people sneak in without asking. Seems fair to me, though obviously in McDonalds it probably would be a pain.

Love_A_Bargain

Once a week is good some parents take their kids there everyday! Toilets for paying customers is a fair policy otherwise too many people would take advantage of it and some of them leave it really nasty!

katerinasol

I agree with the OP in finding it annoying. Considering you're a frequent paying customer, you would think they would allow you to keep using the toilets as a gesture of goodwill. I remember reading an article on the BBC site a while ago where a John Lewis manager said he was more than happy for non-paying customers to use their toilets because they walk past the displays and may even end up buying something. Plus you have a small kid with you, it's not like you're a hoodie sitting outside swigging cider and using their toilets all day!