The McDonald’s restaurant in Monaco’s Fontvieille shopping centre has come under fire in recent days after dozens of negative reviews surfaced online…
As reported by Monaco Matin, customers criticised hygiene, service, and even food quality, with one describing the experience as “a disgrace.” Complaints included overflowing bins, dirty tables, pigeons crowding the terrace, and in one case, a sandwich reportedly served with a mouldy bun.
Management has publicly defended the restaurant, which employs around 60 staff, and said it receives some 80 customer reviews per day. According to figures cited by Monaco Matin, they estimate only 0.3 percent are negative. The franchise urged dissatisfied visitors to use the “Hello McDonald’s” reporting platform printed on receipts, assuring complaints are answered within 48 hours.
On the issue of odours near the entrance, managers said they are “suffering from the situation” of the shopping centre itself, which opened in 1992, citing ageing drainage systems. As for complaints of underfilled fries, the restaurant dismissed the idea that staff are instructed to reduce portions, noting margins are tightly controlled. The pigeon problem on the terrace, they added, had already been addressed, although efforts to deter the birds once led to an investigation for animal cruelty.
McDonald’s further pointed to quarterly independent health audits and monitoring by Monegasque authorities, saying no major issues had been identified. Still, the backlash has clearly stung. “After 34 years in the company, I take it personally,” one manager told Monaco Matin, stressing the team’s ongoing efforts to improve.
Photo by Eshak Angell
