McDonald's adds counter barriers as assaults and threats rise

Counter barriers are going up at McDonald’s restaurants in cities including Chicago, St. Louis, New York City and Oakland. The change is aimed at incidents in which customers have climbed counters or threatened staff, part of a broader pattern of assaults, shootings and confrontations inside and around restaurants.

For workers on the floor, the barrier changes the shape of a shift in a basic way: it creates a physical line between crew and customers, buys a few seconds if someone lunges forward, and makes it harder for a confrontation to turn into direct contact. It does not solve the rest of the job, especially when tension starts in the lobby, the parking lot or after closing, where a counter wall cannot do much.

McDonald’s says its People Brand Standards apply to all restaurants, including franchised locations, and are meant to protect employees’ physical and psychological safety. McDonald’s also has a global restaurant workplace violence prevention program available to all restaurants.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says workplace violence risks can be reduced with appropriate precautions, and it flags workers who exchange money with the public and customer-service employees working alone or in small groups as higher-risk categories. A counter barrier can help most at the point of sale, but it works very differently from security staffing, lobby rules or police response, which are meant to cover broader threats outside the register area and after a fight is already underway.

A National Employment Law Project report on workplace violence at the chain drew on violent incidents reported in the media, data from Chicago and St. Louis, and interviews with current and former workers. Earlier NELP research found more than 700 violent incidents at McDonald’s restaurants reported in the news over a three-year period. A 2019 Chicago-area lawsuit also alleged that McDonald’s had lowered or torn down physical barriers at checkout counters, leaving workers more exposed to violent customers. McDonald’s has published guidance for U.S. owner-operators on workplace violence prevention policies.