McDonald’s just pulled a Starbucks – but worse.
The fast-food giant is under fire after a viral video showed a worker at one of its Minnesota franchises kicking a group of black Muslim teenagers out of the restaurant, even as they pleaded with her to let them stay because a man who had reportedly threatened them with a gun was lurking outside.
McDonald’s is under fire after a viral video appears to show an employee forcing teens out of a restaurant, despite the teenagers’ protests that there is a threatening man carrying a gun outside.
“I don’t give a f—, get out of my store, now,” the employee can be heard saying on the video.
The incident between the teens and the unidentified man began when the teens decided to grab something to eat while on a study break. But when the teens briefly held up the line as they struggled to pay for their food with the Apple Pay app, another customer started making rude and racist remarks, according to a post on MuslimGirl.com.
“Jihan [one of the friends Osman was studying with] heard the man say, ‘You’re probably using EBT’, and she immediately turned to him and said ‘Just because I’m Black, doesn’t mean I use EBT,'” one of the teenagers, named Osman, told MuslimGirl.com.
The gunman proceeded to lose his temper when the teenagers criticized him for being racist. He then advanced on the teens and started “cussing them out”, which prompted one of the girls to call a friend who had been sitting in a booth nearby for help.
“The man was so close I thought he was going to hurt us,” one of the teens said.
The man then pulled a weapon and threatened the teens.
Shortly afterward, a female employee demanded that everybody leave the store, despite the teenagers’ pleas. Another customer immediately came to the aid of the teenagers and told the worker that the teenagers shouldn’t be forced to go outside where the man who had threatened them might be lurking. The staff eventually called the police only after the teens refused to leave and repeatedly explained that they feared for their safety. But the man with the gun was long gone by the time officers arrived.
“It was terrifying because we were scared he was waiting for us outside so we stayed inside listening to the managers yell at us and blame us,” one of the teens said.
McDonald’s told Business Insider that it’s looking into the incident.
“Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and employees,” Paul Ostergaard, the McDonald’s location’s owner/operator, said in a statement. “We take this matter seriously and are working with local law enforcement while we investigate the situation.”
Two videos depicting the incident were shared on Twitter:
@McDonalds is this what you stand for? We were just trying to order when this man said racist remarks, claimed to be touched (when really he pushed a kid as seen on video) pulled a gun out on kids and you still kick us out knowing we’re in danger? 1/2 pic.twitter.com/3vKXsxhuwH
— farida (@snatchingedgess) November 20, 2018
After yelling you also add “if he pulled out a gun it’s for a reason”. There should be no reason that a man pulled out a gun on children just trying to order their food. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/fg1LByNBbL
— farida (@snatchingedgess) November 20, 2018
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