Bolton,
is a town in Greater Manchester in North West England. A
former mill town, Bolton has been a production center for textiles since
Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th century, introducing a wool and
cotton-weaving tradition. Bolton was a 19thcentury boomtown, and at
its zenith in 1929 its 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dyeing works made
it one of the largest and most productive centres of cotton spinning in the
world. The British cotton industry declined sharply after the First World War,
and by the 1980s cotton manufacture had virtually ceased in Bolton.
Often, when you enter a hotel or a restaurant, you
notice a sign stating that the right to admission and service to every guest
rests with the hotel. However, the foundation of the hospitality industry
remains the service that is provided to every guest who walks into the hotel or
the restaurant. Though it is a service industry, it involves transaction
between two parties and one of them has the right to decide on the presence of
whom they want [rather whom they do not want] says sources. Every hotel has its
own set of codes of conduct that the guests need to adhere to. These might
range from the appropriate attire of the guests to their behavior. Some
do deny admission to guests not wearing shoes. MCC and another
famous club were in news earlier for denying admission on dress code.
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of
hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in
119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as
a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald. A
McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the
actual corporation itself.
Mcdonalds at OMR ~ illustrative – Wikimedia commons
Some time back
was an outrageous incident of
pushing out a child in its Pune outlet. Facebook and other media were
ripe with reports that a child was literally pushed out by the employees as it
stood in a line along with a woman when the child came to buy a drink. The
woman incidentally seeing the child on the street offered to buy him a
softdrink; the boy was pushed out, though the woman contended that she had
brought him in. The FB news circulating stated the employee as stating
“such people are not allowed in the restaurant” and adds that the
woman purchased a drink and gave it to the child outside. She uploaded a
picture of the child and the bill item on her Facebook account.
After being roundly criticised for its actions and
blatant discrimination, McDonalds India said that appropriate action would be
taken in case of any act of breach. To them destitute street children are
strictly ‘no’ even if somebody else is prepared to spend on them ! – people
were asking - "What was the problem in Pune? No one asked for a free
meal. The lady who took the child in was going to pay for the food. So why did
McDonald's evict the child ?"
Now there is another storm in
a tea cup !! MailOnline reports that a man was outraged with McDonald's after
claiming they refused to serve him a cup of tea - because he was buying it for
a homeless woman.
Anil Barber, 38, took pity on
the shivering lady after seeing her hunched up inside the fast food restaurant
in Bolton in the early hours of the morning. He is reported as saying that staff
at the counter told him he wasn't allowed to buy the beverage because the woman
was homeless, and it would encourage her to beg.
The woman was described as
aged in her 20s, very thin, around 5ft 5in tall and wearing a green anorak to
shelter against the rain. An outraged Mr Barber said: 'I am a carer for my
disabled brother and he wanted some food so I went to McDonald's where I knew I
could get a quick meal.'I felt sorry for the girl as soon as I saw her. She's
only young and she was sat with her arms round her knees, shaking because she
was wet through from the weather.'I asked her if she wanted anything and she
asked me to buy her a cup of tea. It was the least I could do for her.'I had
already ordered my food but when I went back to the counter, I was told by the
manager that I wasn't allowed to buy her anything as she's homeless and I was
encouraging her to beg.'It was outrageous, I couldn't believe what a jobsworth
he was being.'
McDonald's said the woman was
banned for safety reasons and they have no policy against the homeless. Mr Barber, who had tried to buy the woman a
cheeseburger as well, but when he failed, he handed her a ten-pound note so she
could try being served.'She went up to the counter and again they point blank
refused to serve her,' he said. 'It was cruel.'I tried to offer her some of my
food but she didn't want it. All she wanted was a cup of tea.'They should be
ashamed of themselves. They were more than happy for her to sit inside the
restaurant but they wouldn't take my money to give her a meal, there was no
logic to it.'I left her with the tenner so I hope she managed to get something
to eat. I've seen her around a few times and I always try and give her
something if I can.'
McDonald's said the woman has
been banned from the restaurant in China Gardens, Bolton, but denied it had
anything to do with her being homeless.They said she was banned in the interests
of customer and staff safety.A McDonald's spokesman said: 'There is no policy
of banning homeless people at McDonald's.'The circumstances surrounding this
individual's ban have no link to her being homeless and our restaurant team
acted in the interests of the safety of our customers and employees.'We
apologise if this was not made clear at the time.'
Strange are the ways of
people !!
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
25th Nov. 2o15.