McDonald’s Drops Age Rule, Settles Suit

A McDonald’s restaurant in Valencia has dropped its policy of excluding youths under 16 after 9 p.m. to settle an age discrimination suit filed against it by a 13-year-old girl, the girl’s attorney announced Thursday.

The suit, filed by attorney Gloria R. Allred, alleged that 13-year-old Tracy Tellez was told to leave the Valencia restaurant halfway through her meal Jan. 22 under a policy aimed at curbing teen-age vandalism.

“I’m glad this is settled because I think teen-agers should be treated equally,” Tellez said as she nibbled on a McDonald’s cheeseburger in Allred’s office Thursday.

However, a spokesman for the restaurant said the policy had already been rescinded when the suit was filed March 15.

The policy was begun earlier this year after Friday night crowds tore out chairs and put graffiti on table-tops, employees said.

“It was always the intention of owner Mark Schutz to drop the policy as soon as he brought the vandalism problem under control,” said Neil Cohen of McDonald’s Operators of Southern California, which represents 310 restaurants. “Schutz hired a security guard sometime in March and dropped the policy.”

But Allred said her client was told the night before she filed the suit that those younger than 16 were not permitted after 9 p.m.

“What’s important is that the McDonald’s in Valencia cannot simply reinstate at will the policy barring teen-agers,” Allred said. “They have agreed that in the future they will follow a policy of serving teen-agers on the same basis as adults.”

Tellez has declined to collect damages. “We didn’t go into this for monetary gain,” Tellez’s mother, Debra, said.

Cohen said no other McDonald’s in Southern California has ever barred those younger than 16 from the premises during certain hours.