McDonald’s: Not Lovin’ It

Royale with cheese?

Not everyone is happy with fast food restaurants, but a father in Canada is super-sizing his complaints. A man in Quebec named Antonio Bramante is suing McDonald’s, claiming that they are breaking laws and advertising toys and games to children under 13. Happy Meals, the world famous McDonald’s meal for children, claims that the toys in each meal often are tied in with a new movie release or as part of a “series”, which drives the kids to ask for return trips to the Home of the Big Mac. Bramante’s lawyer, Joey Zukran, is citing Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act, is stating that this focus on advertising to minors is against the law. The law firm claims that anyone who has purchased a Happy Meal in Quebec since November 2013 would be considered to join the class action lawsuit.

Interesting that there is finally a lawsuit against McDonald’s that does not involve health or hot coffee. Over the years, McDonald’s has revamped their menu with a focus on making 50% of their Happy Meals total 600 calories or less. In 1994, the infamous Liebeck v McDonalds lawsuit in New Mexico saw a jury grant $2.86M to an eldery woman who spilled coffee on herself. Interestingly enough, she was only awarded $640k as decided by a judge. McDonald’s currently has restaurants in over 101 countries across the world, serving 69 million people every day and claims to have served over 1B consumers total. Perhaps the Happy Meals in Canada will soon be re-named to Not-So-Happy Meals?