McDonald’s bans under-18s after 5pm from restaurant over ‘physical and verbal abuse’ of staff

Fast food chain says it has seen rise in anti-social behaviour in Liverpool branch

Under-18s have been banned from entering a McDonald's branch in Liverpool after 5pm following a series of anti-social behaviour incidents.

The fast food giant said the decision was not taken "lightly" and aimed at protecting employees at its Church Street restaurant after they weree subjected to "verbal and physical abuse".

A spokesperson said: "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."

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

McDonald's has more than 36,000 branches around the world, with about 1,300 of those within the UK.

Some of these restaurants, popular with nighttime revellers in areas where they offer a 24-hour service, have security staff in the evenings to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Last week McDonald's raised the price of its 99p cheeseburger for the first time in 14 years.

Executives at the company said the price hike was made due to inflation.

The cheeseburger now costs £1.19 and McDonald's said other “menu items impacted most by inflation” would also see a price hike of between 10p and 20p.

McDonald’s UK & Ireland chief executive officer Alistair Macrow said the increases are needed to help the business, which Statista said was worth $175.5 billion (£133 billion), cope “through incredibly challenging times”.

“Just like you, our company, our franchisees who own and operate our restaurants, and our suppliers are all feeling the impact of rising inflation,” he said in an email to customers.