McDonald's restaurant bans all under-18s from entering after 5pm following string of abuse aimed at staff

The move could be temporary

A McDonald's restaurant has banned all under-18s from entering after 5 pm following a string of incidents of "anti-social behaviour" aimed at their staff. The fast food joint on Church Street in Liverpool has made the difficult decision after a series of incidents involving young customers giving staff "verbal and physical abuse." A McDonald's spokesperson said: "Over recent weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the area with our people being subjected to verbal and physical abuse. [caption id="attachment_351215" align="alignnone" width="640"]

The McDonald's in question/Via Google Maps[/caption] "We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to crime and anti-social behaviour, and have temporarily restricted restaurant access to U18s from 5pm. "This decision was not taken lightly and we are working closely with the police to find a resolution and help reduce these incidents." While the ban is currently in place at one branch, McDonald's did not say whether they would move the tactic to other stores that deal with similar issues. [caption id="attachment_351218" align="alignnone" width="2048"]

Via Unsplash[/caption] One witness told the Liverpool Echo that they saw a security guard refuse entry to a "man he believed to be a teenager." "As I was leaving the security guard stopped a man he believed to be a teenager and told him they weren't allowing people under 18 into the restaurant after 5pm without an adult with them," they explained. "The man told the security guard he was in his 20s so he apologised and explained that the new company policy meant he couldn't let groups of teens in on their own." They added: "I was in town the night before and there were large groups of kids all over Liverpool One and they were moved on a number of times by security near the cinema and in Chavasse Park."