News

Chinese McDonald's location shut down after posting sign banning blacks

April 15, 2020

A McDonald's store in the Chinese city of Guangzhou has removed a posted sign and shut down, after the message displayed was reported to the chain's corporate offices. The sign, according to USA Today, read: 

"We've been informed that from now on black people are not allowed to enter the restaurant. Please understand the inconvenience caused." 

In a statement to QSRweb, regarding the incident, the McDonald's Corporation said:

“As a brand, as a company and as more than 2.2 million people serving nearly 120 countries around the world, this is not representative of our inclusive values. Immediately upon learning of an unauthorized communication to our guests at a restaurant in Guangzhou, we immediately removed the communication and temporarily closed the restaurant."
 

USA Today reported that McDonald's also told them that the store's employees will attend its values training. In China, news of the sign spread through social media, where it was roundly condemned as offensive and highly discriminatory. 

USA Today reported that during the pandemic in and around Guangzhou, blacks have had to undergo mandatory tests and quarantines even when they had not traveled. Other media, the newspaper said, have reported wide discrimination against blacks in hotels, restaurants and other public areas. 

The U.S. Consulate General in China has advised that African-Americans to "avoid the Guangzhou metropolitan area until further notice." McDonald's had not responded to a request for more details about the incident from QSRweb at the time of this writing.