A restaurant policy has sparked controversy among Texans over its treatment of students from San Antonio schools. Social media users began noticing a door sign that places restrictions on when young adults are allowed to dine inside the store.
In a TikTok video posted on Thursday, November 6, TikTok user Justin Bobby shared that a local McDonald’s has a new rule in effect. The fast-food joint mentioned is the one located at 2922Â Blanco Road, directly next to Edison High School.
Bobby claims in their clip that the business “got fatigued” with its “McStudents.”
A trip to the property confirmed the sign was real, and it appears to have been installed on Friday, September 5. One is displayed near the drive-thru windows and side door, directly next to a “come on in” sticker. Another is placed at the main entrance of the shop.
“That’s not cool at all,” they said, including in the caption that “McDonald’s hates the childrens in San Antonio.”
The full text states that “no student is allowed to dine in between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.” It continues by saying that “everyone should be in school” and “SAPD will be called” if people refuse to comply with its demand.
Business owner and operator, Celia Acosta, tells MySA that they have loved being a part of the San Antonio ISD community over the past 35 years.
“At our Blanco and Fresno restaurant, we have enhanced our security measures to ensure the safety of our crew, customers and local students,” Acosta added. “We’re working closely with school officials to ensure that kids remain in class during the school day and maximize their educational opportunities.”
A new policy at a McDonald’s restaurant in San Antonio, Texas, has sparked controversy because it bans students from dining in during most daytime hours. (Melanie Love Salazar/MySA)
The restaurant isn’t just near Edison High School; it’s practically on the campus. Only a street and a fence separate it from the institution’s track field, making it a convenient spot for students to grab a meal on a day that they had to take off. Several neighborhoods, including Olmos Park Terrace, Alta Vista, and Beacon Hill, are within a 1.8-mile radius of the site.
Online, users have been debating whether the guidelines are too strict or are valid, given the behavior that may have prompted the company to act.
“It’s cause they be trying to to skip school and hangout there,” Frank Quinones wrote in a post.
Another claimed that McDonald’s “is just looking out for kids” because “they need to be in school at that time.”
Others say it will negatively impact the business and adolescents with irregular school schedules.
“I worked by a Mc Donald’s and during lunch, kids would go and eat there,” one user commented. “Kids that had money. And also there are kids that have different lunch schedules. So I don’t feel [that] if there is a school very close, they should be banned out. I am a concerned parent.”
It’s not the first time the chain has enforced a rule like this. Earlier this summer, a location in Virginia banned anyone under the age of 21 from dining in, regardless of their school status. A sign placed outside that store said it was “due to repeated incidents of student violence,” WUSA reports.
A spokesperson for San Antonio ISD says that Edison High School is a closed campus, meaning students remain on campus during their lunch periods. They did not address the question of whether it offers early-in or early-out programs. As of now, it’s unclear how long the McDonald’s regulation will be in place.
This article originally published at Controversial policy sign at San Antonio McDonald’s draws backlash.