McDonald's Explains Decision To Ban U18s After 5pm

A McDonald's branch has explained its decision to ban under-18s from entering after 5pm - and no, this doesn't mean they're going to start selling beer with their Big Macs.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Maccies on Church Street in Liverpool had introduced the drastic measure to protect their employees.

In a statement, a McDonald's spokesperson detailed why they enforced the new rule, saying that the decision was 'not taken lightly'.

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They commented: "Over recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area with our people being subjected to verbal and physical abuse.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to crime and anti-social behaviour, and have temporarily restricted restaurant access to U18s from 5pm.

"This decision was not taken lightly and we are working closely with the police to find a resolution and help reduce these incidents."

Until they come up with a solution, anyone who's under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult after the cut-off point or else it's no Chicken McNuggets for them.

And if you're wondering how seriously the branch is taking the temporary restriction, apparently security guards have been seen turning away customers already.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, one onlooker said: "As I was leaving, the security guard stopped a man he believed to be a teenager and told him they weren't allowing people under 18 into the restaurant after 5pm without an adult with them.

"The man told the security guard he was in his 20s so he apologised and explained that the new company policy meant he couldn't let groups of teens in on their own.

"I was in town the night before and there were large groups of kids all over Liverpool One and they were moved on a number of times by security near the cinema and in Chavasse Park."

This isn't the first time certain McDonald's restaurants have had to take measures to curb anti-social behaviour.

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Back in 2019, a Maccies in Newport, Isle of Wight, decided to temporarily turn off their free WiFi from 4pm in order to deter young people from gathering outside and causing trouble in the town.

Owners also considered blasting classical music throughout the store, a tactic previously used by a Shepherd’s Bush branch in 2018.

According to those running the London store, after cutting the WiFi, playing classical music and having police officers patrol outside, anti-social behaviour dropped dramatically.