Mcdonald's Thailand Imposes One-Hour Time Limit For Customers

[skippy]

The answer is pretty simple.

Install a cut off switch to the wifi that triggers every 10 minutes and they will soon see results.

[kevvy]

who is going to enforce it ...the police that means mac wont get any money

[Nisa]

How about canceling wifi Internet service at McDonalds, that ain't a Starbucks or an internet cafe anyway.

Could turn off the A/C too. But seriously, many of the locations compete somewhat with Starbucks and have that Mc Cafe coffee shop or whatever it is called.

[uptheos]

They should simply put up signs that there is no loitering and/or that tables are for dining customers only. .

They will 'bottle it' and put the sign up in English only.

[ihunnieibee]

According to most Thai's I know McDonalds has been used as a studying/tutor place for many years (before our beloved wifi) so I'm not sure if that will do the trick.

My bf said that when he was a teenager him & his friends used to buy one drink and their group of friends would rotate and keep a table all day long at whatever establishment usually in Siam as their meet-up hangout place. It has become Thai culture--well Bangkok culture at least to do this.

Side note:

I'm still not sure why so many of the replies are about how "unhealthy" McDonalds is, that isn't even the point of the article. Do people get off on mentioning how they don't eat at McDonalds? I really don't understand why people always have to mention how they don't go to McDonalds for whatever reason and they're the first to jump in any McDonalds thread.

[whybother]

^ The problem is that they don't have the sign in Thai.

[RisqEM]

I can completely understand this. I've seen tutors, families, people just sitting around doing nothing. I've seen it in Starbucks too. I go to work and see a group of students with one cup of coffee or one small french fries, come out on break see the same group with one empty cup or one empty french fries bag.

Any other business would kick out non paying customers, McD's is no different and should be able to do the same. It is definitely an instance of Thai people taking a mile when given an inch.

I think they will handle it well, ever tried to stay in a buffet for longer than an hour (Oishi, Shabushi)........they're quick to get the next paying customer in, and not polite about it!

Edited December 19, 2012 by RisqEM

[Hobnob]

Grab the single free chair where a group of Thai students are sitting, say "excuse me, can I sit here? thanks" and then sit down before they even register what happens. They soon clear off out

[LALes]

I somehow can understand that measure. Running a shop comes with overhead, such as electricity for airconditioning and staff salaries. Last time I was at Mc there was a group of 5 students occupying 2 tables with satchels and tablet computers and sharing 1 Coke between them; or rather, one of them was drinking and the others were just "hanging out". When I had finished my own meal, they were still there, and the single Coke showed no sign of being nearly finished. McDonalds, like any other restaurant operation, depends on sales turnover.

Its not only McDonalds. Go into Paragon, Terminal 21, etc. any day and you will find tons of Thai students hanging out with their books open, hogging

tables all day long at numerous businesses. This could be just the opening salvo here. I'm sure a lot of business owners have been looking for a way

to get rid of these loiterers.

[muratremix]

Good thinking! However, these students occupy almost everywhere that has food & beverage, except libraries or school itself. I saw several highschool students came to study(!) in Central Ladprao Food court. It sucks, when people trying to find table to eat but instead you see bunch of books which studying will not finish in a normal lunch/dinner time.

[Jim walker]

MacD Its nice to go in and have a coke and ice on a hot balmy day just to cool down for a few minutes / hours, and have a quick read of the Bangkok Post and catch up with the truthful accurate non bias view of Thailand’s news.

Edited December 19, 2012 by metisdead
: Arial Size 14

[Barabbas]

There are 2 sides to this - they are throwing away money to keep the outlets open, but the income generated by the outlets is not enough - the only reasons I can think of being i.e. 1) they have people taking potential customer's seats, thus less customers 2) the actual sales are not good enough due to quality of food (it's worse then in other countries, IMO), bad marketing etc.

They should try to solve it from both ends - improve the quality of the restaurants AND controlling the customers flow. Just throwing people away will not improve the cashflow. After all, when McD tries EVERYTHING to make every person who comes in to buy something to eat (the more the better), in Thailand people just come in and buy a Coke. Eh?

[Scott]

Off-topic posts about the quality of food etc. and replies have been deleted.

We don't feed the trolls here.

[sirchai]

Bad news for Ubon Ratchathani McDonald goers. There's a very aggressive Ronald and it seems he's a Muay Thai specialist.

Please see attached photos taken today at noon.

He steps in after 61 minutes.......

Edited December 19, 2012 by sirchai

[Jim walker]

Turn of the Wi-fi and the air-conditioning and also switch of the lights if its dark inside the students won’t be able to read or study without a torch so this might free up some seats for real hungry customers.

Edited December 19, 2012 by metisdead
: Arial Size 14.

[cardholder]

There are 2 sides to this - they are throwing away money to keep the outlets open, but the income generated by the outlets is not enough - the only reasons I can think of being i.e. 1) they have people taking potential customer's seats, thus less customers 2) the actual sales are not good enough due to quality of food (it's worse then in other countries, IMO), bad marketing etc.

They should try to solve it from both ends - improve the quality of the restaurants AND controlling the customers flow. Just throwing people away will not improve the cashflow. After all, when McD tries EVERYTHING to make every person who comes in to buy something to eat (the more the better), in Thailand people just come in and buy a Coke. Eh?

easy - same for Blue Pumpkin and other places with free wifi - buy a 45 minute time slot and get a free burger/coffee.........

I see nothing wrong in fast food outlets applying time allocations. Car parks do it.............

(Bar girls do it...............................)

[Nisa]

Turn of the Wi-fi and the air-conditioning and also switch of the lights if its dark inside the students won’t be able to read or study without a torch so this might free up some seats for real hungry customers.

And take out the seats and tables all together.

[cardholder]

McD is a health hazard to all people and should be banned everywhere on the planet along with Burger King, Pizza Hut and all that garbage. That would solve this pseudo problem immediately.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect App

At least they don't need time allocation at som tam and luk chin stalls - you usually need to find a loo within half an hour

[davejones]

Do all Thailand McD's have free wifi? And is that why this is an issue???

I don't frequent McD's here or elsewhere for food reasons, so don't have to worry about getting booted out...

And frankly, sitting at a cramped, undersized table and hard chair in a McD's fast food outlet isn't exactly my idea of a fun or pleasant place to hang out....

I don't go to McD's either, but there are plenty of them that have very comfortable chairs, settees and large tables. I think their problem is that they make it to comfortable to stay for a long time. It's fast food, so no need for comfy settees.

[Potosi]

Attract more customers, and shorten the dwell time? Easy. Bring back the ashtrays.

[Newguy70]

Guys it''s very simple, if they are not eating/ordering You tell them to leave. You do't have to be polite and ask them to leave. If you are not a patron then you are loitering, plain and simple. Put a sign at all entrances, and a few inside. They will get the idea, and lose face when you tell them to get out. And it's not just students, this goes for teachers as well.

I also think that patrons who are looking for a seat need to speak up. I know I do

Problem solved...

[Sabrinus]

When I lived in Paris McDo's had no choice but to do this -

Students would leave school or on their lunch break take up nearly the whole place with only a couple of fries and a shake, and stay for hours. Even having a rota system, yup... as one student left the next sat down and took their place as I was in fact waiting with a tray of food.

Where I worked we used to pop out to Macs to get a snack, and seeing this with my own eyes, were we so happy when eventually the manager put a sign up, limiting seating and time inside his restuarant. I think McDonnalds on Ave. Charles De Gaulle must have had huge bills and to see all their money go down the pan for this little 'community club' had to end.

So my lovely Thais, its not only in Thailand this happens.

[Rionoir]

The McDonald's near me isn't that large inside and the tables they do have are nearly always FILLED by students who have clearly settled in to study for the rest of the day. I almost never go in there anymore because there is nowhere to sit down, and I am sure there are many others who do the same. You really can't blame McDonald's for trying to enforce something that will allow actual PAYING customers to have a place to sit and eat their meal. They aren't running a shelter for students who don't want to study at home.

[bender92]

In Pattaya I mostly see old white guys. They are reading the free paper and not buying anything. Or nursing a coffee and trying to kill the morning.

[djayz]

All this talk about McDonalds is making me feel hungry...

[sirchai]

Turn of the Wi-fi and the air-conditioning and also switch of the lights if its dark inside the students won’t be able to read or study without a torch so this might free up some seats for real hungry customers.

And take out the seats and tables all together.

And use fermented fish instead of ketchup.==

[sirchai]

In Pattaya I mostly see old white guys. They are reading the free paper and not buying anything. Or nursing a coffee and trying to kill the morning.

Why are you always watching me? Take care your own business.

[Travelman868]

How about canceling wifi Internet service at McDonalds, that ain't a Starbucks or an internet cafe anyway.

Could turn off the A/C too. But seriously, many of the locations compete somewhat with Starbucks and have that Mc Cafe coffee shop or whatever it is called.

McD's coffee is the most horrible brew in the world. Starbucks don't pay proper tax in the UK so don't use. Independant coffee shops for me.

[greenwater]

Put a clear sign on the tables and charge 500 baht a hour the table with order less of 500 baht. So, if the boys drink or share few Cola or 1/2 hamburger and stay for 2 hours....they have to pay the difference until 1.000 baht.

[Lancelot]

According to most Thai's I know McDonalds has been used as a studying/tutor place for many years (before our beloved wifi) so I'm not sure if that will do the trick.

My bf said that when he was a teenager him & his friends used to buy one drink and their group of friends would rotate and keep a table all day long at whatever establishment usually in Siam as their meet-up hangout place. It has become Thai culture--well Bangkok culture at least to do this.

Side note:

I'm still not sure why so many of the replies are about how "unhealthy" McDonalds is, that isn't even the point of the article. Do people get off on mentioning how they don't eat at McDonalds? I really don't understand why people always have to mention how they don't go to McDonalds for whatever reason and they're the first to jump in any McDonalds thread.

Agree about Wifi- this free meeting place behavior predates wireless internet.

About unhealthy McDonalds, you are so right its off topic and a soap box for do gooders to force their values and beliefs on others