Can I please have a large Big Mac meal with a coke, a chocolate thickshake, and everything in the cash drawer? Masked and armed bandits have hit up their third McDonald’s restaurant in Melbourne, threatening employees and demanding money. While violence and crime should not be tolerated, it’s good to see how far across the line these bandits’ social conscience lies in targeting big corporations instead of independent retailers. But seriously, is this a case of thieves with a social conscience a la Robin Hood or Ned Kelly? Or are we just over-analysing the robbery of venues with guaranteed cash-on-premises? Or is this simply an excuse to post an image of The Hamburgler?
CCTV footage shows three men, one of which armed with an axe or tomahawk, another with a tyre iron and the third with a bladed weapon. The men, believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, wore black hooded clothing and used bandannas to cover their faces. While no one has been hurt at this point we shouldn’t underestimate how serious this kind of crime can turn. A store manager in the targeted south-east Melbourne region said the bandits have McDonald’s workers fearing for their stores. “We could be next tonight, being in the area, I wouldn’t be surprised,” they told media.
Police have worked closely with McDonald’s and are on the lookout for a dark coloured Holden or Ford. While there are no plans to shut the 24 hour restaurants in the area until the culprits are caught, it is understood if employees choose not to work. Hopefully these guys get caught real soon. Everybody loves McDonald’s – lets not have a real reason to stop going there; but in the meantime, be careful burger-lovers.
Written by Kat Simic
