Monday 5 April 2010

McDonald's 24 hour fast food: Do you want a drunk with that?



Don't you just love when you drunk, and McDonald's is like the best idea in the world!!!! Facebook page Drunk McDonalds quote and photograph

"Stumbling home drunk from the pub, everyone always wants a feed, but nothings open unless u wanna wait for the bakery, everyone should be saying yes to maccas in good old Yamba!!" one younger adult male wrote on a Facebook page after the news came out that McDonald's Australia had lodged a development application for a 24 hour drive-through fast food outlet in Treelands Drive.

He was not alone in marrying the idea of McDonald's and a feed after hotels and clubs close.
Indeed, there is one website catering "For people who got drunk and then ended up at McDonalds" and another called "There would be less drunk driving in the world if McDonalds delivered" which has over 217,000 registered fans.

Now charitable souls might think that statements like these probably wouldn't translate into action if Clarence Valley shire councillors voted to allow McDonald's Australia to go ahead and establish a 24 hour drive-through fast food outlet in Treelands Dive, Yamba.

However McDonald's does appear to attract the intoxicated and just plain irresponsible.

In 2010 the media has reported:
a) "A woman caught five times over the limit had been driving because she was hungry, Queanbeyan Local Court on Monday............pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving after she was caught on February 2 with a blood alcohol reading of .240.
The court was told that the Centrelink employee attended a ball in Woden on February 6 and consumed two bottles of champagne.The Chisholm resident, who recently purchased a property in Queanbeyan, caught a taxi home from the ball and then watched television for two hours before becoming hungry.
Intoxicated......drove two kilometres to McDonalds to purchase some food and was pulled over for a random breath test on her way home, the court was told.
It was said that her decision to drive was irrational and irresponsible and she regretted her actions.
The court was told she had no prior criminal record and only one infringement in 2001."
[ The Canberra Times, 1 March 2010]
b) "No licence because he accumulated demerit points for various driving offences.......was pulled over by police on his way to McDonalds for a feed. "Which part of you doesn't get it?" Magistrate Maxine Baldwin asked him. "You lost six points for (a high-speed offence) and continued to speed until you lost your licence." [The Gympie Times,20 February 2010]

McDonald's Australia is well aware that it attracts alcohol and drug intoxicated people and The Daily Telegraph reported in December last year that; "Family restaurant McDonald's is hiring security guards, installing CCTV and vowing to not serve drunks to placate community anger over its plans to stay open all night."

One reader's comment attached to that particular article stated; "Just go to McDonalds Stanmore and see the result that 24 hr trading brings to the local community. Hoodlums, rubbish strewn all over the road and [what] seems like an endless stream of drunks after their binge drinking nights out."

Elsewhere another online reader lamenting a change in the McDonald's menu admitted; "My standard meal when drunk is a triple cheese meal, 6 nuggets with sweet chilli sauce. What to do now?"

While last year Cessnock residents went public with their concerns about a McDonald's already operating there; "She said residents already put up with drunks fighting, smashing bottles, damaging gardens and vomiting.
"These issues will worsen if there is an extension of the trading hours," Mrs Carter said. "We are already subject to unacceptable antisocial behaviour with people congregating in the McDonald's car park, bus shelters and nearby streets." [The Herald,8 October 2009]

At Twitter searching for "drunk at McDonalds" bring up pages of recent tweets such as these:

* 2.11 a.m. jenyie showed up at my door with half a litre of vodka and a twited katie. bout to get drunk then head to mcdonalds :D

* ahaha i did that at mcdonalds when i was drunk haha!

* 90 percent of ppl at this mcdonalds are drunk or high

* ordering at mcdonalds drunk is too fucking funny. i'm peeing this is too good.

Some background

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