McDonald's — Restaurant in England

My eldest brother and I usually once maybe twice a month come here to meet a friend and talk shop etc. It's us traveling half way and our friend drives half way from his home which happens to be McDonald's shiptonthorpe now we all enjoy the burgers fries and they do one bloody good milkshake. №1 👍🏻 But our main concern and it isn't just us but the people seated directly behind us were discussing the same thing. Plus while I waited for my number to be called to collect our choice meal a young woman who works at the McDonald's was on the shop floor the customer side chatting to two female friends and I believe her mother approached the 3 young ladies and started chatting then the middle aged lady then remarked to the young woman who works there me thinks her Daughter she said theirs a really lot of flies in here. Me was thinking. Really a lot? No not a lot more like a infestation is what I'd call it. More than the odd fly here and there but on every table chair and every window floor every surface had fly after fly after fly. A lot of flies is down playing it. It was more a kin to a swarm of locusts. Now I'm not saying this bcos I can. No not at all. I really enjoy eating at McDonald's be it Bridlington Scarborough or were ever. Thoroughly enjoy it. But theirs something wrong at shiptonthorpe McDonald's. To to many flies for them to just enter from outside as they buzz about in there lifespan. No theirs gotta be a source of a beginning. I believe out back of the premises has got something going on which isn't good clean house keeping. They either have to address this issue and either get the bins and the waste properly disposed of or locked down or wotever or get a couple of those fly incinerators. Or both. I know this much. If I worked there I wouldn't be able to ingnore that theirs way way to many house flies buzzing about in the customer eating area. I'd have to inform my supervisor or something that I'm not comfortable having this many fly's buzzing about. Now maybe one or two workers have highlighted this to the manager or supervisor and it's being addressed as I tap out this message of my experience. If so great. Get it sorted. If not then do so pronto. Otherwise your going to land yourself in trouble very soon. If was in the USA you could of ended up with a lawsuit chucked at you with a hefty pay out looming. But your not. Your in the UK. Still people just not enough clout to threaten court action to make it viable. But it's not about that. It's about Cleanliness Healthy eating. Not thinking the food I'm eating could have bacteria growing on it. Or it being transferred by some of the workers or the fly's landing on the preparation areas etc. Didn't feel reassured by the amount of flies in the premises. My brother only ate half his budget and fries. It put him off. BIG TIME. Shame. The only thing he enjoyed was the Milkshake. But hey! We gotta say to ourselves is it SAFE? Well is it SAFE? If I want to share my food with a thousand flies landing on me annoying me constantly while eating I'll not travel to shiptonthorpe I'll go to my local council Tip. Sit on rotting waste and that'd be cheaper. No exaggeration. Each and every customer in the premises was saying to one another the same thing. INEOS INEOS...

Everyone who is familiar with bad McDonald's outlets is used to the following raucous fun experiences: soggy, lukewarm and limp burgers; cold, over-salted "fries"; strange mistakes made in orders, when you clearly explain what you want, and the ubiquitous mantra-like chant of "We've run out of vanilla milkshakes".

Now I've described the bad ones, I'll give you a lovely surprise: The Shiptonthorpe McDonald's branch is practically a model of efficiency and customer service!

My orders are always slightly complicated because I get extra bacon on anything I purchase (no, not the McFlurries). They once overcharged me (accidentally adding the extra bacon twice), and when I called them to discuss it, they were very concerned, and at pains to rectify the situation. Even Head Office got involved, but this was, as I said, one single incident.

The Staff are wonderful. Plain and simple. They know I'm disabled, and always let me go sit down after ordering , bringing the food to me - you know, like restaurants used to do. They are friendly, courteous, helpful, and just can't do enough to make your dining experience perfect. They even know I have to have my eggs scrambled, as I can't bear fried eggs. And it's not like I'm a regular - I sometimes call in for breakfast on the way to a consultant appointment at hospital. And from these few visits, they've picked up the scrambled not fried. Incredible.

The interior is always clean, they have free WiFi, and there are even screens on some of the tables - but since if I DO eat in I'm usually reading, so I don't know what they do.

The drive through is efficient, and the window jockeys are, again, courteous and polite. In spite of its location on a busy roundabout - which goes insane in the summer months with holiday traffic - I've yet to see anyone parked in the GRILL 1 or GRILL 2 spaces waiting. They get a lot of military traffic too, as their are some big bases not far away, and even when dealing with all this, they remain calm, efficient, and friendly.

So if you want to see a McDonald's where the food actually resembles the pictures, where the staff care about you, where you don't sit waiting half an hour in your car for a double cheeseburger (just because you have the audacity to want bacon put on), or simply want to sit quietly over a coffee reading Wikipedia, then it's on the A1079/A614 roundabout. Just be wary that things might get a bit hectic in summer - that holiday traffic is a dangerous, time-swallowing monster, and if they all suddenly decide to stop for cheeseburgers at once, then all I've written might well be proved wrong. But I honestly can't say I've ever seen horrible queues, and since they are lightning fast with orders, perhaps it never gets frenzied. The only thing I am disappointed with, and it's a very, very small thing, is that it's not 24 hours a day all week, merely over the weekend. But that's a tiny gripe when you consider all the positives.

And there you have it: a fast food restaurant that actually lives up to its name. Verily, 'tis a wonder...

🚫 McDonald’s – Customers Punished for Parking: A Shameful Practice

It’s outrageous that loyal customers are being slapped with £100 parking fines just for dining at McDonald’s. This is becoming a nationwide scandal—people are being penalised for simply sitting down to eat with their families. In some cases, overstaying by mere minutes leads to a threatening fine from third-party private parking firms.

This is not just unethical—it’s arguably legally questionable under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which protects customers from unfair contract terms. Many of these fines rely on inadequate signage, no clear consent, and deceptive tactics, which could be challenged under Schedule 2 of the Act (Unfair Terms). In fact, multiple rulings (including ParkingEye Ltd v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67) make it clear that for a fine to be enforceable, signage must be clear, prominent, and reasonable in time limits.

➡️ Most people are not informed they’re being watched by ANPR cameras or that they must leave within a strict time—even if they buy multiple meals, attend meetings, or simply wait for food with kids.

This is a betrayal of customer trust. McDonald’s needs to ask itself: is it a family restaurant or a cash trap set up with predatory parking companies?

📢 Call to Action: • Remove third-party parking enforcement from customer areas. • Display clear signage at all drive-thrus and entrances. • Cancel all unfair fines issued to genuine paying customers.

Until then, I strongly advise everyone: keep receipts, take photos, and if fined— dispute under UK consumer protection laws and report to Trading Standards.

McDonald’s is already losing its reputation. If this continues, more people will choose to eat elsewhere rather than risk a £100 “thank you” for...