McDonald’s Patron Punches Worker for Touching Soft Drink Lid

A man was arrested for assaulting a Boston, Massachusetts, McDonald’s employee who touched his drink lid.

The incident took place at 7 p.m. at South Station in Boston. A 34-year-old man struck a McDonald’s employee with his fists after becoming “upset when the employee touched the lid of his drink.”

According to a statement on X by the Transit Police, “South Station TPD Offs arrested a 34y/o male after he attacked a McDonald’s employee, striking him several times w/fists & register.” Police have not yet released the name of the man arrested for Saturday’s assault. He is expected to be arraigned on Feb. 26.

2/24 7PM #MBTA South Station TPD Offs arrested a 34y/o male after he attacked a McDonald's employee striking him several times w/fists & register. The SP became upset when the employee touched the lid of his drink. SP transported to TPDHQ for booking. V treated on scene.

— MBTA Transit Police (@MBTATransitPD) February 25, 2024

McDonald’s requires employees to wear gloves and wash their hands at least once every hour if they work in the dining area, reports The Daily Meal. If they handle food, they must wash their hands using an antibacterial cleanser once every half hour. It is unclear if there are rules about touching food service containers.

The chain’s corporate website lists specific practices it follows throughout its stores. McDonald’s maintains an “ongoing effort to elevate safety standards and procedures.” It is guided by health organizations in the countries where the restaurant chain operates.

In 2019, CBS News reported that workers at McDonald’s on Chicago’s South Side claimed working at the chain restaurant was unsafe. Those restaurants experienced many violent incidents, around 31, over six months of that same year. Fights included customers attacking workers and some customers assaulting or threatening employees with firearms.

“McDonald’s management should be really training us on how to deal with violent incidents, especially the cashiers who work face to face with the customers,” said Martina Ortega, a McDonald’s worker from Chicago, in 2019. Ortega claims that employees “should be able to know where we need to run or what to do.”