Leyland mum furious after overhearing McDonald’s staff belittle customers

“How dare you judge anyone for how they spend their money!,” mum-of-two Lynsay Wright told staff after hearing them belittle customers whilst waiting for her order today (Thursday, January 12).

The 40-year-old was outraged, saying she was made to feel ashamed for treating her 11-year-old boy to a 99p hash brown on his way to school.

Lynsay said she ‘bit her tongue’ at first, not wanting to cause a scene, and left to take her son to school.

But she was so appalled at the staff’s ‘rudeness’ and ‘lack of compassion’ that she returned after the school run to give them a piece of her mind.

She told the Post how it went down.

"We were just waiting for our food when one of the staff said to another whilst laughing, “they can’t afford to put the heating on, but they can afford a McDonalds!”

“I was in shock. This is McDonald’s. It’s supposed to be cheap and cheerful, a friendly place for families.

"My son goes every Thursday for his hash browns, it’s a little treat and a reward for being good and working hard at school.

“The one time he asks me to come in with him I hear them laughing and ridiculing customers over how they choose to spend their money.

"I was so shocked, we just left with our things. I dropped my son off at school but on the way home, I thought to myself – do I just leave it? No way, absolutely not!”

Lynsay found herself storming back into McDonald’s and demanding to speak to the manager.

She said: “To be fair, when I told them what I’d heard, they were disgusted and couldn’t apologise enough.

"I demanded an apology from the staff in front of customers and said how dare you judge anyone for how they spend their money.

"If people want to spend a couple of quid on a burger, that’s their choice, not yours!

"I told them I work hard for my money, it’s my son’s weekly treat and to listen to them belittle customers is disgusting.

"How do they know that people haven’t saved up to treat their children? It’s hard times and families go to McDonald’s for an affordable treat.

"My son is grieving the death of his granddad, so I always try and make him laugh and smile. If a 99p hash brown can lift his spirits, then it’s worth every penny. I shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about it.

“When I confronted the girl she apologised, but laughed and explained she hadn’t been talking about me. I then raised my voice and told her she was slating all customers.

“I think I shocked her with my words. I told her, “not one person has the right to judge anyone else”.

“When times are tough, we need to be more compassionate with each other. We shouldn’t be judging each other and making people feel ashamed.

“I had to speak up and call them out for it because I want to set an example for my son and show him we should care for others and never judge them.”

What did McDonald’s say about the incident?

The McDonald’s area manager declined to comment, but the chain’s national press team confirmed the staff members involved have been ‘spoken to’.

A McDonald’s spokesman said: “McDonald’s prides itself on creating welcoming and inclusive spaces, and we want all of our customers to have the best possible experience every time they visit one of our restaurants.

"We’re sorry that we’ve fallen short on this occasion.

"As soon as our restaurant management was made aware of the incident they offered a full apology to the customer.

"Our store manager has spoken to the crew members involved who have been reminded of McDonald’s expectations.”