Dead animal shuts eatery
Bay Area McDonald’s closed, sanitized for two hours after man sets raccoon on table.
McDonald’s golden arches greet diners from near and far, but a San Francisco location Sunday was forced to close for a thorough scrub-down after it received a most unwelcome guest: a dead raccoon.
A video taken by a customer and posted on social media shows a man seated in the restaurant’s dining room with the dead animal on the table in front of him. McDonald’s employees gestured toward the table and appeared to ask the man to leave as shocked customers watched the bizarre situation unfold.
Another man eventually grabbed the animal by its tail and carried it outside, leaving a bloody trail on the restaurant’s floor. The man returned to the restaurant and sat at another table.
San Francisco police responded about 7 a.m. to evaluate the man, and animal control removed the raccoon. No one was arrested, officials said.
Chris Brooks, 54, of San Francisco told SF Gate that he was picking up an Egg McMuffin before work at the McDonald’s at Potrero Avenue and 16th Street when he saw the man gripping the raccoon.
“The guy came in screaming, ‘Help, help, help!’ ” Brooks told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He came to the counter, and I thought it was a dog at first. The employees told him to leave and he went and sat down with it.”
Scott Rodrick, who owns and operates the franchise, said staff immediately closed the restaurant and began cleaning. “Staff cleaned and sanitized the entire dining room and reopened the restaurant two hours later,” he said. “We are thankful that SFPD and animal control were so responsive to the incident.”
Rachael Kagan, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said agency officials visited the restaurant Wednesday after getting inquiries about the video.
Kagan said restaurant staff handled the situation “exactly as they were supposed to” and cleaned the dining area with a type of ammonia cleaner that kills bacteria. The restaurant is safe for patrons, she said.
“They did all the right things. It’s a very peculiar incident for sure, she said.”