Korean community leaders in Queens call for worldwide McDonald’s boycott

Korean community leaders in Queens are calling for a worldwide boycott of McDonald's because they feel the popular fast-food franchise has disrespected a group of seniors who regularly gather at one of the restaurant’s locations in Flushing.

McDonald’s became irritated that a group of elderly Korean men would regularly gather and commiserate at the restaurant for hours on end, usually only ordering small menu items like fries or coffee.

“It’s a McDonald’s not a senior center,” said general manager Martha Anderson.

A sign was posted advising customers that they only had 20 minutes to consume their food and police began making regular visits to the restaurant to tell the men to leave.

That did not sit well with the community.

In a letter to the Korean community, Christine Colligan of the Korean Parents Association of New York called for a “worldwide” boycott of McDonald’s for February and warned, “We will teach them a lesson.”

McDonald’s spokeswoman Lisa McComb released the following statement:

“This really is difficult. The restaurant has welcomed these guests for a long time,” but the constant loitering “has led to uncomfortable interactions with the McDonald’s workers.”

Uncomfortable or not, the restaurant may have been better off handling things differently.

“Senior citizens should not be treated as criminals,” Colligan said. “They should be respected.”

[CBC News] [New York Times]