Friday, May 22, 2009

McDonald's - Discrimination Against the Homeless

Mortified is a fragment of what I felt while purchasing breakfast at a McDonald's located in an affluent area of Los Angeles, CA.  A patron of the restaurant purchased a meal for a homeless person and asked that the meal be given to the homeless when they came in to the counter.  The manager of the location was taking the order and received payment for same.  When asked to give the meal to the homeless person when they came inside, the manager advised the patron that they would have to take to the meal the outside because the homeless were not allowed in the restaurant.  The patron strategically asked a series of questions to all of which the manager finally responded, "That's what they told me, I can not serve the homeless."  The patron tried to reason with the manager for awhile, but ultimately gave up due to frustration and since of bewilderment at such a discriminating policy.

In this grave economic climate, with more and more people becoming unemployed and the escalating numbers of those being displaced, one would think that an International Corporation like McDonald's would at best have a program in place to feed the homeless on a regular basis.  And certainly, at least be feed a homeless person for whom a meal has been paid.  Needless to say, I will be writing correspondence to Andrew McKenna, Chairman of the Board and to the Board of Directors at large.   They need to be reminded that we are all but a tragedy away from being in the same place as the homeless women that was refused service this morning.  

- There but for the grace of God, go I. (John Bradford)

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