McDonald’s Denies There Was A Physical Altercation With Scientist Wearing Computer Glasses

Yesterday the Internet world was abuzz when a scientist known as the “father of wearable computing” accused employees at a French McDonald’s of physically assaulting him because of his special glasses. At the time, McDonald’s said on its France Facebook page that it was investigating the matter. Today, the company says there was no “physical altercation.”

A spokesperson issued a statement to Andy Greenberg at Forbes, confirming that the man had been asked to leave the restaurant, but didn’t have a policy against wearing a computer eyepiece to back up that decision by staff. “It’s up to each restaurant’s discretion to establish its rules,” she said.

The statement also says customers shouldn’t jump to conclusions before the facts are known.

It reads in full:

We share the concern regarding [the customer’s] account of his July 1 visit to a McDonald’s in Paris. McDonald’s France was made aware of [his] complaints on July 16, and immediately launched a thorough investigation. The McDonald’s France team has contacted [the customer] and is awaiting further information from him.

In addition, several staff members involved have been interviewed individually, and all independently and consistently expressed that their interaction with [the customer] was polite and did not involve a physical altercation. Our crew members and restaurant security staff have informed us that they did not damage any of [his] personal possessions.

While we continue to learn more about the situation, we are hearing from customers who have questions about what happened. We urge everyone not to speculate or jump to conclusions before all the facts are known. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment and stellar service to McDonald’s customers around the world.

The scientist writes in his blog that his eyepiece was broken when he was shoved outside the store, causing it to take photographs of the employees he says were involved in the altercation. He also claims his photos show the alleged perps tearing up his doctor’s note and documentation explaining his special eyewear.

McDonald’s Staff Denies ‘Physical Altercation’ With Cyborg Scientist [Forbes]

 

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