Roxbury McDonald’s reopens dining room with police and youth programs

The McDonald’s at 301 Warren St. in Roxbury reopened its dining room with on-site police security after more than a year of teen fights, assaults and vandalism forced the store into a tighter operating pattern. Crew members had been working around weekday afternoon closures from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with customers pushed to the drive-thru and mobile pickup window while management tried to keep the restaurant under control.

The store, in the Washington Mall, is now part of a broader youth intervention. The effort includes a regular after-school presence with resources, assistance, activities and mentorship. The reopening also came with prize packs for incoming students.

Employees said some teens vandalized the furniture so often that it had to be reupholstered several times. Teen Empowerment’s Boston program serves youth ages 14 to 19, and Thomas Koonce, the group’s director of re-entry and violence prevention, said the goal is to help young people build responsibility and change mindsets.

Migdalia Nalls, juvenile unit chief at the Suffolk County district attorney’s office, said the response had to be collective and that teens should be able to use the restaurant in the neighborhood. She also said the Selhi family, which co-owns the location, moved faster than expected and reopened before summer vacation. Vijay Selhi, Cherag Selhi and Anurag Selhi own 19 McDonald’s locations.

Boston police issued a community alert on Sept. 25, 2024, after an aggravated assault inside the restaurant at 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 23, when a suspect allegedly threw a box of french fries at a victim. On Feb. 27, 2025, Boston police and Boston Housing Police arrested a 17-year-old near the store and recovered two loaded firearms, including a loaded Glock-19 stolen from Burlington, Vermont. In April 2022, three juveniles were taken into custody after a fight with McDonald’s employees and assaults on responding officers.