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McDonald's worker 'refuses' to let pregnant woman use toilet

A heavily pregnant woman claims a McDonald’s restaurant refused to let her use the bathroom because she paid for her coffee using a loyalty card.

Amy Williams was 36 weeks pregnant when she was waiting in the fast food restaurant in Canterbury, UK, for a coffee she had just ordered.

When she started to walk towards the bathroom the 26-year-old claimed a worker blocked her and told her she wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom because she hadn’t paid with “real money”.

A pregnant woman next to a McDonald's restaurant
A heavily pregnant woman claims McDonald’s refused to let her use the bathroom because she paid for her coffee using a loyalty card. Source: AAP/Getty stock

The mother-to-be told Fox News she had used a loyalty card to pay for her coffee that day, explaining that she purchased 12 cups prior to the visit, which entitled to her to free cup of coffee.

“No pregnant lady should ever have to feel the way I did by such a huge company,” Ms Williams told Fox.

‘I was about to cry’

Ms Williams, who was with her partner Sam Hutchinson at the time, ended up having to rush out of the store to find another bathroom in a nearby coffee shop.

She said they had no problem letting her use the facilities even though she hadn’t purchased anything.

“I was livid. I’m not at the stage of ‘is she pregnant or just bloated?’ ,” Ms Williams told The Sun.

“I was about to cry, I had to run away because I needed to pee that bad.”

The furious woman said the McDonald’s worker even pointed to her baby bump and said they understood her “predicament” but added “you’re not paying with real money”.

After the ordeal the couple said they were left feeling “really upset” and refused to go back to the fast food chain.

“We have dignity – though I nearly didn’t. Everyone is really shocked. They’re disgusted that they would do that,” Ms Williams said.

A shocked Ms Williams told Fox News she had never been refused to use the bathroom while pregnant.

“No one turns a pregnant lady away to use the (bathroom), even if they weren’t a customer,” she told Fox.

A spokesperson for McDonald’s apologised for the experience in a statement to The Sun.

“We sincerely apologise to the customer in question for their experience, and are disappointed that our customer services fell below the standards we would expect on this occasion,” the chain said.

“Incorrect guidance was unintentionally provided, and the restaurant team have been reminded of our policies to help prevent this happening in the future.”

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