Washington Post, June 24, 2021
The MacDonald’s restaurant in the 14th district of the southern French city of Marseille has been closed for over a year, yet it has rarely been busier.
On a recent Sunday, workers hurried through the kitchen corridors, passing storage rooms with raw meat hanging from the ceiling and stacked potato boxes climbing the wall. Above the counter, illuminated panels featured the McDonald’s menu.
But no one behind the counter was wearing the company’s uniforms. The grills and deep fryers were shrouded. The menu was out of date.
Outside, a car screeched to a halt near the drive-through window, where the screens that once welcomed customers were blank.
“I’m sorry, this is no longer a McDonald’s,” a volunteer told the driver. He pointed to the McDonald’s logo on the wall, which had been rearranged to read “l’après M,” or “the After M.”
“This is a food bank now,” he said.
