McDonald toilet under scrutiny

By Nefertiti Matatia 13 July 2018, 12:00AM

The McDonald Restaurant’s unisex toilet is in the spotlight with customers concerned that is not safe for public use.

Customers say the location of the toilet at the back of the restaurant and its sharing with members of the opposite sex made it unsafe, especially for women and girls.

A man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned why men should be allowed to use the same toilet and added that he has stopped his daughter from using the facility.

“I am very disappointed, I have a daughter and I allow her to go to the bathroom by herself in the old McDonald because it is safe and you can easily see it. Now I wouldn’t let her, I will have to go make sure that she is okay because it is all the way at the back,” he said. 

“They shouldn’t have opened the restaurant to the public if there was just one toilet. They should have just waited until it is complete because what will happen now if someone was assaulted. Who will be liable? Basically they are putting profits over safety. No amount of money is worth having someone getting sexually assaulted.”

Another customer, a woman, expressed her concern and asked why both men and women should use the same toilet. 

But McDonald's General Manager Pemerika Su’emai indicated that it was only a temporary arrangement due to the ongoing construction work. 

“The unisex toilet that we now have is just temporary because as you can see the construction work is ongoing at the moment. Once the construction work is completed then we would have the toilets for the ladies, the gentlemen and as well as the disabled,” he said.

“I know that once the construction is completed people would see a whole different McDonald’s because this is the new module over the world.

“This is not a renovation it is the making of a brand new building but we decided to do it as a renovation so that employees have jobs and they get paid,” he said.

“My advice to the public is to be patient till October when the construction work will be completed – it is when we would have brand new toilets for everyone.”

By Nefertiti Matatia 13 July 2018, 12:00AM
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