Cockroaches, Maggots Swarm McDonald’s Kitchen in Nauseating Footage

Horrifying footage shows cockroaches and maggots running wild in a McDonald’s restaurant, even infiltrating the chain’s coveted French fries.

Footage from a McDonald’s in Broadmeadow, New South Wales, Australia posted by Newy 87.8 FM Newcastle, shows a cockroach wriggling around on top of French fries in one of the metal scoopers used to dispense the salty shoestrings into their containers. A still photo shows a dustpan and broom lying in the kitchen corner. Both are completely covered with maggots, which have also spread to the wall and floor. The outlet reported that other photos also showed cockroaches milling around other areas of the restaurant. The authenticity of the images was confirmed using GPS tracking data. The footage was released on Tuesday, though it’s unclear when it was captured.

Newy spoke with several customers at the Broadmeadow location, many of whom were aghast upon discovering the lack of attention to hygiene. “I couldn’t be f---ed going back in,” one anonymous customer said upon being shown the video before ordering their meal. “I’m already late, and that video has ruined my dinner,” he said while speeding away in his vehicle, presumably to a cleaner establishment. But many online weren’t too surprised about the infestation. “Why is everyone so shocked? These stores are run by teens that can’t even clean their bedrooms, as if they are going to know anything about food safety standards,” someone noted on X (formerly Twitter).

The discovery has led to further questions about the Broadmeadow location’s cleanliness, including allegations that employees have been forced to clear clogged drains with their bare hands while kneeling in contaminated flood waters. Adding insult to injury, the restaurant recently completed renovations to modernize its appearance in a bid to draw more customers. Now, it seems unlikely many will be brave enough to venture to Broadmeadow’s Golden Arches.

“We are disappointed to see these images,” a McDonald’s spokesperson told News.com.au. “This clearly falls short of McDonald’s strict food safety, quality, and hygiene standards,” they said. “We have taken immediate action at McDonald’s Broadmeadow, including a thorough professional pest inspection and installation of additional pest control measures,” they continued. “We’ll continue to work closely with the restaurant, to ensure our customers can feel confident in our commitment to food safety, quality, and a great customer experience.”

Strangely, the pest problem isn’t the only unfortunate issue to befall the Broadmeadow McDonald’s this week. Local police are still investigating an unrelated robbery at the restaurant which occurred on Jan. 7, when a man stole bills from the cash register before fleeing the scene.