Joseph Verney
A Lincoln resident said he will never eat food from or attend any McDonald’s again after seeing the “disgustingly dirty and rancid kitchen” at one of the chain’s restaurants in Lincoln, where rat sightings have also been recently reported.
The local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, went to the drive-thru at the McDonald’s on Moorland Close at around 9.25pm on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
After taking his order home, which included a Big Mac and a chicken sharebox, his partner took a bite out of her burger and spat it out before being sick saying it “tasted of bleach”.
He tried to call McDonald’s and claims he was told that no cleaning products had been used other than sanitiser on the worktops, and allegedly disputed the chemical taste”. The local resident said he would bring it to show the restaurant.
The customer was disgusted by what he could see in the kitchen.
After waiting 30 minutes, he spoke to a manager who found his order on the system and refunded him. During his time inside the restaurant, he noticed the state of the kitchen and started recording to show others how bad it was, including food on the floor and dirty worktops.
He told us that staff appeared to take exception to him filming. He believes they called the police on him because he was “making people aware of the state of the kitchen”.
The man added: “Police got me the details to make a complaint which the manager didn’t give me. I was advised to leave and follow the complaint procedure to prevent a breach of the peace, which I agreed to do.”
The local resident has since reported McDonald’s to the City of Lincoln Council and claims he was told an inspection will be carried out. The city council said it will investigate the matter once it has received all the requested information from the complainant.
Yet more mess in the kitchen.
He said: “I saw thick dirty grease build up on the tops of oven lids. Absolutely disgusting.
“Dirty floors, food all over the floors, and the worktops were disgusting.
“The thing that really annoyed me was that the manager said my partner must be ill if she can taste chemicals. When I said she’s fit and well I was questioned as to whether I was a doctor or not.
“I felt physically sick that myself and my family had eaten from the place.
“I will not ever eat food or even attend any Mcdonald’s again after seeing this disgustingly dirty and rancid kitchen.”
He said the worktops looked very dirty.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about this customer’s experience. Food safety is of the utmost importance to us, and we place great emphasis on quality control, following rigorous standards.
“We also carry out routine checks of our Lincoln – Moorland Way restaurant which is how we maintain our Food Hygiene Rating of 5.
“We understand the restaurant team provided the customer with a full refund and we would encourage anyone with a complaint to contact our Customer Services team.”
We sent a copy of a video taken by the customer to McDonald’s who promised another statement, before we were later told the fast food giant would not be adding anything further.
The customer also complained to the fast food giant via email the day after his bad experience, but has not received a response by the time of publication.
Sara Boothright, Food, Health and Safety Manager at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We have received a complaint in relation to this food premises. In line with our policies, we will investigate this once we have received all of the information we have requested from the complainant.”
Shortly before publication of this story, our source was contacted by the City of Lincoln Council environmental health officer (EHO) after an unannounced inspection at the premises. McDonald’s was aware of the customer complaint and the media enquiry at this point.
Our source said: “He (the EHO) told me the place was too good to be true and like they were ready for them coming. They have changed their cleaning routines from 30 minutes to every 20 minutes for the floors. The EHO spoke to the owner who accepted what was pictured by myself was not acceptable.” The customer added that he was also told that the council will “be doing another random check within a few months”.
A local resident said “I don’t think it’s right rats running about” near the drive-thru at McDonald’s on Moorland Close in Lincoln.
Meanwhile, McDonald’s and the city council previously took action after rodent sightings in the vicinity of the same Lincoln branch run by the fast food giant.
In an updated statement, a McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We take hygiene and cleanliness very seriously, and pest control experts carry out regular checks of our Lincoln – Moorland Way restaurant and the surrounding area to help maintain our Food Hygiene Rating of 5.
“Due to the location of the restaurant by a public highway, shrubland runs very close to the restaurant which can lead to sightings of rodents outside the premises. We are continuing to work with Lincolnshire County Council to clear the area along the public highway.”
City of Lincoln Council previously said it had worked with the local landowner and agreed with them the “removal of a section of hedging where the rats appear to nest”. It is understood this work has now been completed.
And now, Lincolnshire County Council has been dragged into the rat drama. A spokesperson said: “We have been invited to a meeting with McDonald’s that is also going to include Environmental Health and City of Lincoln Council.
“As we are not the authority to deal with restaurant cleanliness, food waste or litter we will be there in a supportive capacity for City of Lincoln Council.
“Given the facts of which areas we are responsible for, and that we only cut back scrub in extreme cases where it interferes with footpath or road usage (the land owner is then billed for the work if they do not carry out the essential maintenance themselves when contacted prior), we are happy to attend the meeting and understand why McDonald’s think that Highways is any part of a factor in their issues.”
