Book of Horror Stories

Old McDonalds

Im sure many of you have been to a newly remodeled McDonalds. Possibly one with a McCafe.

But have you ever looked up why they started remodeling the restaurants in the first place?

The first McCafe in the states popped up in Chicago back in May of 2001. That was just the beginning.

Now over the last five years, McDonalds has taken to remodeling every single restaurant in America. Most of you might even be asking yourself how long its been since you last stepped foot in an old McDonalds.

Ask anyone whos done some market research and youll hear something strange. McDonalds loses money on the process. Its a fact. The new furniture isnt pulling new customers and the McCafes cant sell coffee that cheap and turn a profit. Look at Starbucks prices and youll see what I mean.

Stakeholders say they wanted a more adult vibe for the restaurant. A classier look for a classier America.

Wrong answer. Google it right now: whats McDonalds target age group? Its children and teens. It always has been.

So then why did they start all these remodels? Why would one of the largest corporations in America spend over 1 billion on a terrible marketing strategy?

Thats where things get interesting.

Lets start with the play places.

If you can remember, almost no two play places at McDonalds were identical. Some of them were really fun. I know I had a few favorites.

Well some of them were also really dangerous. The first gem I could find was a carousel play place in Lancaster, Pennsylvania back in the 1980s that got shut down mere months after opening. Little information was given about why they closed. The lot has been vacant ever since.

If you find the right connections in Lancaster though, you just might be able to read an article that didnt make it to print.

Children would play on the merry-go-round in ways they werent supposed to, you see. Theyre kids, so of course they would. Well one day a few kids managed to crawl underneath the thing but then they never made it back out.

The whole incident was so heavily guarded by McDonalds PR, youd be troubled to find a single person that was even there that whole afternoon. The only witness anyone could find had this to say:

When they went under, a few parents started calling for help. Then something happened to the lights. The carousel kept getting brighter and the music was deafening. I ran out of the building when the machine started to smoke, but I looked back through the window to see if the kids were alright and [the employees] were just standing there behind the registers! They looked like they were still waiting for customers!

Weirder and weirder stories pick up from there through the years. Reports of children sinking into ball pits that should only be a foot deep. Mothers searching play tubes for their kids, only to find a lonely pair of shoes.

But the play places held a mere fraction of the incidents.

Back in 1996 in Knoxville, Tennessee there was a business man of his 40s who went into a McDonalds restroom and remained there for seven hours. Patrons noted that he refused to leave the furthest back stall.

The police were finally called and they managed to break down the door. He was restrained by paramedics as he wouldnt willingly leave the restroom.

As they pulled him out of the stall he began screaming bloody murder take me back! I want to go back! but the moment he exited the restaurant he passed out. He had no memory of ever going to a McDonalds the day of the incident.