Fast food restaurants nationwide are imposing tight time limitations on dine-in orders to reduce loitering and increase customer turnover.
In response to customer concerns over loitering, several restaurants are instituting time limits. These customers often buy very little, if any, food.
The announcement of the time restrictions on eating at restaurants made its way into Reddit last week.
According to a Reddit user, an “unfriendly” sign at Wendy’s adjacent to his workplace states guests have just 30 minutes to sit down while eating.
Some Redditors hypothesized that the new time limitations were put in place to discourage homeless vagrants from using the facilities of these businesses for living and bathing.
“Good!” Wrote another user. They described that what used to be a Wendy’s is now almost a homeless shelter. The odor is dreadful. People are sleeping in the booths. They saw an individual in the bathroom who was stark naked.
Someone else on Reddit said these regulations are in place for a reason, and they’d understand if they had been in Los Angeles, California.
Some pointed fingers at the adolescent clients and others who would spend hours at the eatery only to utilize the free internet after purchasing inexpensive food.
Another noted that in Baltimore City, Maryland, the restrooms were clearly marked as being reserved for customers only. They didn’t want homeless individuals taking baths or living in them.
According to a tweet from an X user, a Manhattan McDonald’s in New York only gives customers 20 minutes to enjoy their food in-house.
More restaurants may start limiting how long customers can stay on their premises to respond to the growing costs of living, homelessness, crime, and vagrancy.
A report reveals that fast food restaurants have a history of ejecting guests they deem to be overstaying their welcome. In 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many X users expressed their bewilderment on social media over a McDonald’s 30-minute time restriction.
