Photo via New York Daily News.
by Y. PETER KANG
The dispute over a group of elderly Korean Americans who lingered for hours at a McDonald’s restaurantin Flushing, Queens, N.Y., ended amicably after the patrons agreed not to overstay their welcome during the primetime lunch rush.
In exchange, the franchise owner of the McDonald’s, Jack Bert, said he would allow the seniors to stay as long as they wanted outside the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim, who brokered the agreement on Sunday, announced the compromise at a press conference the following day.
“Once you put a face to the business, I think people realize that we’re not dealing with the McDonald’s corporation but a small business owner that has been in the community for 20 years,” Kim told charactermedia.com in a phone interview today. “Once the seniors saw the owner and heard from his mouth what the situation was, they understood.”
The dispute, which Kim said had been going on for years, escalated in recent weeks after the McDonald’s franchise began calling the police to complain about the elderly customers overstaying the 20-minute time limit and ordering only coffee or small fries over several hours. The Korean seniors were “infuriated” after the restaurant began calling the police, Kim said.
The assemblyman reached out to the owner and was in the process of brokering a truce when a group of Korean community members held a press conference saying the franchise exhibited “stark racism” and called for a “global boycott” against McDonald’s.
“I spoke to them that morning and pleaded with them to not do it,” Kim recalled. “I said this was going to embarrass us and undermine the discussion. I said, ‘Be a part of the solution and you can sit down with us to resolve the conflict, don’t just call for a boycott and say it’s discrimination.’”
The claims of racism attracted the South Korean media, who flooded Kim with calls asking him if this was a case of discrimination.
After first appearing in the Korea Times New York, the story was picked up by several mainstream media outlets, including the New York Times.
“I think people were drawn to the David and Goliath story,” said Assemblyman Kim. “They were stuck on this idea of big, bad corporations against underdog seniors. The truth of the matter is that there is a plight of the small business owner and the plight of the seniors who deserve a place to socialize. The heart of the problem, I believe, is that there are a lack of options for a growing immigrant community.”
Kim said that nearby senior centers are “overcrowded and underfunded” and the closest adequate senior center is 20 blocks away.
“Some of these seniors with walkers don’t want to take a bus, they live down the block and, at that age, they deserve to have a place they feel comfortable,” he said.
New York Assemblyman Ron Kim (center) with U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (right) and State Sen. Toby Stavisky (left) at a news conference on Monday. Photo via NY Daily News.
