McDonald’s Kicks Out Homeless Indian Boy After He Tries to Buy a Drink

January 20, 2015

A homeless boy was allegedly forced out of a Pune, India McDonald’s while trying to buy a Fanta float, according to a Facebook post that went viral on the Reddit India page.

In the Facebook post, Mumbai-based designer Shaheena Attarwala claims that she saw the child outside of the McDonald’s begging for food. When Attarwala and her friends came out of the restaurant with Coke floats, the boy approached her and asked her for some, she says. She decided instead to have the boy stand in line so that she could buy him his own. That’s when a member of the McDonald’s staff “pushed and threw the kid out” while telling the woman that “These kind of people are not allowed inside.”

Attarwala wrote in her blog:

“So I was in Pune for a work visit. At night, we decided to visit the McDonald’s nearby. We went and got ourselves some coke floats. When we came out, a poor kid started asking for some. Since it’s not very expensive, I decided to buy him a Fanta float. I asked the kid if he would like to come in with me and stand in the line to purchase it by himself… he agreed. I took him in and he stood in the line. Of course I accompanied him. Immediately, a worker from McDonald’s came and pushed and threw the kid out!

“I told him that it’s me who got him in to buy him a Fanta float. He was extremely rude and told me that these kind of people are not allowed inside! Any way, I bought him the stuff and gave it to him outside.

“Now, I need to know who are THESE KIND OF PEOPLE? Are poor kids are not allowed? Even though I accompanied him? I was paying? Did I ask anything for free? Worse? Not a single people from the public even bothered to stop or even raise a word.”

After the boy was kicked out, the woman brought his Fanta float to him outside, as evidenced in a picture uploaded to Imgur.

McDonald’s India has responded to the incident by issuing a statement that read in part:

“We are investigating internally an issue that has been reported on an incident involving a street child.

“We shall be examining if our employees have in any manner breached basic courtesy and respect and take appropriate action

“We wish to affirm that we treasure and respect everyone in equal measure and do not support any form of discrimination.”

Attarwala has said that she’s since reached out to McDonald’s to complain about the incident, and that a representative told her the boy was kicked out of because of a “bomber incident.” When she asked the McDonald’s representative whether a “shabbily” dressed child would’ve been thrown out of one of the company’s U.S. restaurants, she alleges he told her, “Ma’am, this is India.”

Attarwalla writes in her updated blog post:

“Got a call from McDonalds ….

So people from ‪#‎mcdonlds‬ called me after watching the cctv footage n tried to cover it up by saying mam we took that step coz we have had a bomber incident before 2012.

I said cool. So if tomorrow I get by own kid you will throw him out as well?

Just because he was a poor kid not dressed well u assumed so much of him?

So all people dressed shabbily are looked down upon?

I asked him what if this same incident of throwing out a poor kid from ur restaurant happened in USA …he said mam this is INDIA.

Can someone explain how being india makes this incident a justified one???

So they did not feel bad.

Explain…

Ive sent them a mail stating my conversation with their representative.”

Considering McDonald’s flagging sales and trouble with millennials, this latest incident in an emerging, important global market is another unwelcome publicity nightmare for the company.

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