Dad stages McDonald’s blockade after his £80 order turns up without fries or drinks

A disgruntled dad staged a sit-in protest at McDonalds after his £80 delivery turned up without any fries or drinks.

After an UberEats driver failed to provide him with the correct amount of food, dad-of-four David Shepherd took up his position on the counter of the Chestfield drive-thru near Whitstable, Kent, and claimed he would not move until he got his full order.

Mr Shepherd stayed at his post for around two and a half hours and was joined by his children.

He later moved his car to block the drive-thru for another hour, until he was finally moved on by the police at around 11pm.

The conflict started when David, from Herne Bay, ordered around £80 worth of food from the chain on UberEats as a treat for his children and their friend.

However, when the seven meals were delivered, the family were shocked to find there were only half the drinks and no fries with the order.

Mr Shepherd said: ‘The policy is you need to get in touch with Uber who will refund you the missing items. But the thing is, it’s not Uber who packed the bags, it’s McDonald’s.’

‘We phoned UberEats, but they would only refund some of the missing items to £21 – which does us no good when we’re trying to treat our kids to a meal.

‘In the meantime, I decided to drive to McDonald’s to ask them to replace the missing items, but I was told it was ‘against company policy’ to do so.

‘At that point the food was already cold so we have £80 worth of a meal that we’re not getting.’

Last night Mr Shepherd said: ‘I’m sat here watching things on my phone and I have absolutely no intention of moving.

‘If that means asking my wife to go home and come back with a charger, duvet and pillows, then so be it.

‘What is ironic is that while I have been here, a number of people have come in to complain about things missing from their order.’

Staff at the 24-hour drive-thru attempted to get rid of the protesting parent by calling the police, only to be told that the force couldn’t take action.

Mr Shepherd, who is 51, said: ‘The police said that it was a civil matter and out of their hands.

‘I know it all seems petty and very much like a “first-world problem” but I’m not a naturally petty person, I’ve been involved in protests about the bigger things in life.

‘All of this would have been avoided if they’d just given us the dinner we’d paid for.’

A police spokesman confirmed they were made aware of the dispute at around 6.45pm.

She said: ‘As no criminal offences were being reported, management were advised to try and resolve the matter amicably but told to call back if they have any concerns for their safety and that of their customers.

‘At around 8.20pm the force received a second call reporting that a man had become aggressive.

‘Patrols attended and spoke to the man who agreed to settle the matter. No offences were reported.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.