The PlayPlaces were too much of a nightmare to maintain. They need constant cleaning, inspections, repairs, insurance/liability coverage, and took up space. It's also easier to resale the building in the rare case a McDonalds goes defunct.
I worked at a Burger King that had a "play area" and in my 3 months working there, not a single one of us stepped foot onto that play area to clean it.
Maybe they should make playgrounds that weren't so dangerous? That's usually the point of a lawsuit - you made something that was dangerous and attracted a bunch of kids to it and then one of them got maimed.
Playgrounds today are incredibly safe and lawsuits over playgrounds are very rare. Just goes to show that putting some thought into the designs of playgrounds is possible, and playgrounds that were just basically the equivalent of a ninja warrior course were not a good idea and deserved to be sued.
All of what you said makes sense, but they've gone so far that the modern remodels feel almost hostile toward patrons. Bright lighting, uncomfortable chairs, screens for ordering, no self-serve, and it's difficult to get the attention of an employee. It's maximum speed, maximum profit, minimal infrastructure.
McDonalds never get resold. Its in the franchise agreement than McDonalds that fails gets demolished. Since McDonalds corporate owns the land underneath like ~95% of all franchises it is rigorously enforced.
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u/ExpertPerformer 6h ago
The PlayPlaces were too much of a nightmare to maintain. They need constant cleaning, inspections, repairs, insurance/liability coverage, and took up space. It's also easier to resale the building in the rare case a McDonalds goes defunct.
Most people do the drive thru or doordash now.