Overall: Basic and unsafe: nappy change only
Good Points: nappy change table; nappy disposal bins; sink & soap; no steps; outdoor play area
Bad Points: difficult narrow pressure push/pull doors; awkward not-pram-friendly access to toilets; unsafe change table (about to break and right behind doors!)
Here we are at another fast food restaurant, checking out the baby care facilities. I hope to find something that’s at least reasonable, clean and safe, but am disappointed AGAIN.
What is increasingly annoying is it seems to be a common thread with this particular organization – ie McDonald’s.
The Maccas in North Parramatta is a cinch to find, since it’s on the corner of 2 main roads (Victoria Rd & Church St). There’s a fair bit of parking, but is quite busy most of the time so it’s important to keep an extra eye on the kids.
To get inside the store, well it’s not exactly pram friendly. The door is the standard Maccas pressure push/pull door. With a pram in tow, you’ve got to use your body weight to keep the door open while you maneouver the pram inside. After that mammoth effort, you’re almost keen to eat anything on the menu……almost.
The first task set for my little one and I was to check out the baby care facilities. Now most Maccas have a separate disabled bathroom with a baby change table inside. Guess what? This Maccas doesn’t have a disabled bathroom! Unless it is hidden behind the blank white locked door, disabled patrons are going to have some major hassles here if they need to use a toilet.
Not good, Maccas.
So I obviously thought the next logical place would be the female toilets. Well if you can get a pram to the back of the store, past the partition, and in through the first door……then you deserve a medal, or at least a free coke.
The bit of floor space, that runs between the toilet entry doors and the restaurant seating area, is so small I really don’t see how any one can get a pram of any kind in to the toilet! If someone has managed to do it, please let me know how ‘cos I would loooove to know. Especially if you were able to do it without breaking anything.
Anyway, of course once inside the first door to the toilet, there’s a ridiculous tiny little void with another door you need to go through to actually reach the toilets. Again, I honestly doubt anyone being able to get in here with a pram. Coming in with a little one in tow, sans pram, is hard enough!
When you open the second door, behind it against the wall is the baby change table. Facing you are the two toilet cubicles, and to the right is the sink, soap and hand dryer.
This facility is such a joke. Sure it’s fine and does the job for the average person just needing to use the loo, but for anyone needing to change their child’s nappy or take them to the toilet……Well, it’s just ridiculous. Completely impractical, dirty and dangerous.
When the change table (which is right behind the second entry door) is laid out, it completely blocks anyone from being able to come into the toilets. It also stops whoever is in the first cubicle from being able to get out and wash their hands! How stupid!! And if someone trying to get in or out didn’t realize what was blocking the doorway and gave the door a big shove, it could seriously knock the table hard enough to cause a child to fall off or injure a parent.
It’s like Maccas went ‘oh crap, we need a change table in the store. There’s a space on the wall in the toilets, let’s just chuck it there to meet regulations’. Idiots. Did they bother to see if it was actually user friendly and in a safe position? Probably not.
I folded out the table to see how clean it was and if it was in usable condition. Well surprise surprise, it’s a law suit waiting to happen. I was lucky the unit didn’t drop on the floor! The hinge on the table is barely holding it together, causing the change table to slope dangerously downwards to the floor. I wouldn’t even put a nappy bag on this for fear of the entire unit collapsing in a heap. It is completely unsafe to put a child on here. Who knows when this thing is going to snap and hit the floor.
McDonald’s stores are just getting worse, with each one I visit. The ‘family’ has definitely gone from ‘family restaurant’. And while they spend loads on store renovations, and attempts to improve dodgy coffee, the basic needs of customers (eg clean and safe toilets and baby change facilities) are not being properly met or maintained.
From the disgusting poo covered change table in a Maccas in the city, to this one falling apart, and so many more, what will it take for this supposedly customer-focussed organization to get it’s act together and provide decent facilities for its customers? Maybe a few more reviews like this will do the trick. Although I hope there won’t need to be any more.