McDonald’s Customer Says Homeless Man Was Banned From Restaurant For Trying To Escape The Summer Heat

A Kentucky woman says she stopped at a Lexington McDonald’s with her boyfriend Tuesday afternoon to buy a homeless man lunch, expecting he would be able to eat it somewhere inside and cool off. Instead, she says the man told them McDonald’s had banned him from the property.

Abby Welch said she and her boyfriend had just gotten off work around 12:40 p.m. when they spotted the man sitting outside the McDonald’s near Stanton Way. He was shirtless and visibly sweating, so the couple decided to stop and get him a meal and something cold to drink.

Welch said her boyfriend invited the man inside to eat, but the man told him the manager had banned him from the property. Neither Welch nor her boyfriend spoke directly with the manager about the ban, and Welch said the man himself was the one who told them he could not go inside.

They Stopped to Buy Him Lunch, Then Found Out He Couldn’t Go Inside

McDonald’s does not appear to have a public policy specifically addressing whether people experiencing homelessness can remain inside its restaurants. The company does, however, say that its restaurants are expected to provide a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for customers. Its corporate materials also describe a commitment to treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.

That makes the circumstances surrounding this particular ban especially relevant. Welch did not know why the manager banned the man, how long the ban had lasted or what happened before she and her boyfriend arrived.

For Welch, the situation was still difficult to watch. She had seen the man sitting outside in the heat, decided to buy him a meal and something cold to drink, and assumed he would be able to eat somewhere inside.

‘I figured he would come in the McDonald’s cool down and enjoy his fresh meal,’ Welch wrote in her Facebook post.

She also questioned why a company as large as McDonald’s couldn’t let someone cool down inside after spending the day outdoors.

Extreme Heat Can Be Especially Dangerous for People Without Shelter

For someone without a home, finding a place to escape the heat can be much harder than just turning on an air conditioner or staying indoors. People living outside may have limited access to water, shade and air conditioning, making hot summer days especially difficult to get through.

That was part of what concerned Welch when she saw the man sitting outside the McDonald’s. She said he was shirtless and visibly sweating when she and her boyfriend approached him, which was why she assumed he would be able to cool off inside while eating the meal they bought for him.

Access to air conditioning can also become a serious issue during periods of extreme heat. Public libraries, cooling centers and other community spaces can offer relief, but access varies by location and often depends on operating hours, transportation and how long people can stay.

In Lexington, local organizations regularly work to connect people experiencing homelessness with shelter, food and other resources. The city and surrounding communities also have resources intended to help people find relief during dangerous weather.

For Welch, seeing the man outside after buying him food brought that issue into sharper focus. She said she wanted to share the encounter because she believes people in her community should be paying more attention to what happens to people who have nowhere else to go when temperatures rise.

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