A McDonald's in Queens made steps to resolve a dispute with a group of elderly people who would socialize for hours to the dismay of restaurant management, reported NBC 4 New York, citing a state assemblyman.
The chain's location agreed to waive a previous 20-minute time limit at the Flushing location in favor of extended seating hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will also put up signs in Korean and Chinese, Assemblyman Ron Kim added.
Such moves are aimed at ameliorating a situation in which older customers would spend hours at the McDonald's while ordering minimal food to eat. To cut down on this, McDonald's had called the police on the customers who violated the time limit—a move that attracted widespread negative press for the chain.
"I've been proud to serve this community for nearly 20 years and my restaurant has been happy to welcome these customers for years. I thank Assemblyman Kim and other community leaders for their partnership. I was confident that once we were able to sit together and talk we would come to a positive resolution that would create an environment where all customers who wish to enjoy this restaurant would have the ability to do so," said Jack Bert, the franchisee of the McDonald's location.
To read more about the decision, check out the full NBC 4 New York article.
—By CNBC's Katie Little. Follow her on Twitter @KatieLittle