Horse Riders At McDonald's Drive-Through Draws Backlash From Netizens

Horse riders ordering at McDonald’s drive-through

Fast food joints are where we make a beeline to when we’re looking to fill our tummies quickly, with drive-through lanes making it even more convenient for us to order food from the comfort of our cars. So it’s not unusual to see vehicles queuing up outside spots such as McDonald’s.

However, that wasn’t the same case with these individuals in Cyberjaya. A group of horse riders decided to pick up food while on horseback at a McDonald’s branch there. The seemingly unique sighting of an outdated form of transportation turned plenty of heads online but had netizens divided for a number of reasons.

Special guests at Cyberjaya McDonald’s drive-through

A group of horse riders ordering food at Cyberjaya McDonald’s drive-through became the centre of attention earlier this week when photos of them went viral on social media.

On 14th November 2021, the Facebook page Cyberjaya Info updated a post with several photos of these horse riders at a McDonald’s outlet in the tech-city. Since its sharing, the post has amassed over 1,200 shares and 1,900 reactions with more than 500 people commenting on it at the time of writing.

Horse riders at McDonald's without face mask
Image credit: Cyberjaya Info

The incident was believed by many to be a marketing strategy for a newly-opened McDonald’s branch in Cyberjaya, and a local equestrian centre in town that was tagged in the post. But it also invited heavy backlash from netizens who were criticising the horse riders for bringing their animals to the fast food joint.

In the photos, five individuals on horseback are seen saddled up and picking up their orders from McDonald’s via drive-through. The staff there appeared to be amused and accommodating to the riders. Two staff members were photographed greeting the horse riders outside the building, while one worker captured the event on their phone through the drive-through window.

Netizens not pleased with horse riders

Nonetheless, netizens were not as pleased with the incident.

Horse riders at McDonald's
Image credit: Cyberjaya Info

Many expressed their concerns over horse droppings seen in one of the pictures, and wondering if the riders would be responsible for cleaning after their animals as the McDonald’s staff should not have to deal with it.

Facebook comments
Some of the comments left by netizens on the viral post
Image credit: Cyberjaya Info

A day after the post went viral, the admin from the Cyberjaya Info Facebook page offered clarification via a screenshot of netizen’s comment, who happened to spot the horse riders in person. She claimed to have seen the cleaning done by an escort in a four-wheel drive who was trailing after the horse riders.

Image credit: Cyberjaya Info

It wasn’t just the droppings that irked netizens. Some also pointed out that the riders were not wearing face masks during their visit, which is considered a breach of Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

There were several individuals who decided to crack jokes over the incident instead, and a few who believed the whole event to be a promotional campaign for a new McDonald’s in Cyberjaya.

Facebook comments
Netizens who were pulling a pun out of the unique flex and suggesting that it could be part of a promotion campaign
Image credit: Cyberjaya Info

Horse riders at McDonald’s drive-through

It’s understandable why people are upset over this incident, as fast food workers shouldn’t have to deal with cleaning up animal droppings on top of their busy work schedules.

We hope parties involved in making such special arrangements would be more prepared to face unexpected incidents in the future to avoid discomfort for other customers. At the same time, let us not forget that we are still dealing with Covid-19, so mask up whenever you’re in public spaces.