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Loitering over fries may soon be a thing of the past. Numerous social media posts are coming out on how fast food restaurants in the US are starting to enforce time limits on how long customers can dine in. Signs are being spotted at locations like Wendy’s and McDonald’s that restrict eating times to around 30 minutes.
Fast food chains have grappled with lingering customers since their inception. A decade ago, one McDonald’s made headlines for calling the police on elderly patrons who overstayed their welcome.
According to a recent post on Reddit, where the author attached a picture of a sign taken at their local Wendy’s, the 30 minute limit will be enforced by managers:
The controversial move resulted in a mix of fast food fans calling foul on the new policy while proponents argued that these new measures improve efficiency, allowing the restaurants to serve more customers and generate higher revenue. Many commentors noted that the policy is there because of issues in the past with teenagers and the homeless setting up shop for hours at a time.
One Redditor said: “Aight but 30 minute time limit to eat your food is wild and unnecessary, that’s hardly enough time to like actually enjoy your meal.”
Another Redditor was quick to point out: “need this at my location, nothing but loiterers and people that destroy our bathrooms. lets take it one step forward by putting code on the restroom, we’ve been hit with vandalism, homeless OD in the restroom and feces smeared on stalls.”
Its only natural for opponents to find the time limit policy inhospitable, if not downright hostile – but they worry it targets specific demographics, like teenagers or those seeking a brief refuge with free Wi-Fi, and that 30 minutes might not be enough for families with small children or people with disabilities.
As it stands right now, investigation into the matter shows the policy isn’t being implemented at every chain or every location within any one chain. It seems to be cropping up in isolated ‘incidents’ across the country but the question is, will this rule become the new norm?
Then we have staffing shortages and a focus on takeout orders (especially during the pandemic) that have led some sit-down restaurants to impose time limits as well.
There’s no report available on how widespread these time limits have, or will become, but they’re existence is causing a stink in the diner world because think about it, customers are accustomed to lingering over a coffee or catching up with friends at their local joint. If this issue becomes widespread, diners may need to find a new hang-out spot. The future of fast food may be a little too on the nose.
