A McDonald’s in Brooklyn has started checking IDs at the door like it’s a nightclub instead of a fast food restaurant. Anyone under 20 years old needs to have a parent with them or they can’t come in at all. The restaurant at Nostrand and Flatbush avenues put up signs and hired security guards to enforce this new rule, and it’s causing quite a bit of buzz around the neighborhood. The reason behind this unusual policy? The owner says groups of teenagers have been causing serious problems inside the restaurant for way too long.
Why a fast food restaurant started acting like a bar
The McDonald’s owner didn’t wake up one day and decide to card people for fun. According to manager Amber Hussain, groups of 15 to 20 teenagers have been coming in after school every single day and basically trashing the place. They throw ice at customers trying to eat their meals, snatch food bags right out of the hands of delivery drivers, and even smoke inside the restaurant. The final straw came when a group of kids wearing ski masks stormed in and attacked a security guard, breaking a glass door in the process.
The situation at this particular location has been out of control for years now. Police records show that 911 has been called to this McDonald’s 29 times just this year alone. Looking back further, the restaurant had 121 emergency calls in 2022, 103 in 2023, and 111 in 2024. That’s more than two calls per week on average. The franchise owner, who describes himself as a Brooklyn-born military veteran with over 30 years in the community, said the ID requirement is just another way to prioritize safety for employees and customers inside the restaurant.
The location nicknamed the junction has a violent history
This isn’t just about rowdy kids being loud or making a mess. The area where this McDonald’s sits is known locally as “the junction,” and the restaurant has been the scene of multiple shootings and stabbings over the years. Back in September 2011, an 18-year-old was shot in the head in broad daylight as he walked into the restaurant. The attack was so brutal that he rolled into the street, and police later determined it was carefully planned by two people working together. Just a year later in 2012, a manager at the same location actually assaulted a 24-year-old woman who was trying to order food after they got into an argument.
Local resident Sania Bolasingh grew up in Flatbush and knows this McDonald’s well. She told reporters that people fight there constantly, and it’s not just kids being kids. She’s seen people get stabbed, and once witnessed a delivery worker get jumped so badly that he passed out. “If you’re from that area, you know that McDonald’s is horrible,” Bolasingh said. When she showed up at the restaurant after school last week and security demanded her ID, she was shocked at first. But after thinking about everything that happens there, she understood why they did it.
Security guards now stand at the entrance checking everyone
The restaurant now has three security guards posted at the entrances, and they’re supposed to be checking IDs of anyone who looks young. There are signs on the doors clearly stating that customers under 20 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For a lot of people just trying to get a burger and fries, this seems like overkill. But others in the community think it makes perfect sense given what’s been happening. Clyde Smith, a 48-year-old law clerk from Flatbush, asked what else people expect a business owner to do when kids have been causing trouble for this long.
The problem is that enforcing this policy isn’t exactly consistent. Reporters watched high school students walk right into the restaurant without being stopped, and one security guard even held the door open for them. When asked about it, one student said they probably looked like they were just there to get food. Another student named Zehra Demrican thought it was odd that the age limit is 20, especially since she walked right in without showing ID. A third student mentioned that the restaurant started with an 18-year-old limit and then raised it to 20, which isn’t really a significant age for anything specific.
Most customers actually support the new restrictions
Even though the policy sounds extreme, most customers interviewed said they think the age restriction is a good idea. They’re tired of seeing chaos every time they try to eat there. One customer pointed out that it’s unfair to everyone who just wants to come in and have their meal in peace. Another said they don’t understand why people choose this McDonald’s as their fight location, but it’s definitely unfair to regular customers. The sentiment seems to be that while the rule might inconvenience some younger people, it’s worth it if it means less violence and disorder.
Dorothy Brasier, another customer, didn’t hold back when describing the behavior she’s witnessed. She said the teenagers are sneaky and will snatch your belongings right in front of you. They curse constantly, and if you try to say anything to them about their behavior, you have to watch what you say because the situation could escalate quickly. Customer testimonies paint a picture of a restaurant where regular people felt unsafe and uncomfortable, watching groups of young people act however they wanted without consequences. The ID policy might seem weird to outsiders, but for people who’ve been dealing with this for years, it’s actually a relief.
Some students say only a few troublemakers ruin it for everyone
Not everyone thinks the blanket policy is fair, though. Several high school students pointed out that it’s really just a few people who are choosing to fight and cause problems, but now everyone under 20 is being punished for it. That’s a valid concern because plenty of teenagers just want to stop by McDonald’s after school to hang out with friends or get something to eat before heading home. They’re not looking to start fights or terrorize anyone. The policy essentially treats all young people as potential troublemakers based on the actions of a minority.
This raises questions about whether there might be better ways to handle the situation. Some people wonder if the restaurant could have worked more closely with local schools to identify specific problem students rather than banning an entire age group. Others argue that at this point, with over 100 emergency calls per year for multiple years running, the owner had to do something drastic. It’s one of those situations where there’s probably no perfect solution that makes everyone happy. The owner chose to prioritize the safety of employees and well-behaved customers, even if it means some innocent teenagers get caught up in the restrictions.
This might be the first McDonald’s in America to require ID
Nobody can seem to find another example of a McDonald’s anywhere in the United States that checks IDs and restricts entry based on age like this. It’s the kind of policy you’d expect at a bar or nightclub, not a place selling Happy Meals and chicken nuggets. The fact that a fast food restaurant felt compelled to take such an unusual step really highlights just how bad the situation had gotten. When reached for comment, McDonald’s corporate didn’t respond, which leaves questions about whether they support this decision or if it’s purely the franchise owner’s call.
The franchise owner’s statement emphasized his deep respect for the community as a Brooklyn native and veteran. He clearly sees the ID policy as a necessary measure to protect his employees and customers. But it’s worth noting that this is a franchise location, meaning the owner has some autonomy in how they run things compared to corporate-owned stores. Still, having a policy this different from every other McDonald’s in the country is bound to attract attention and raise eyebrows. It definitely makes you wonder if other restaurants in high-crime areas might start doing something similar if they think it works.
The afternoon rush is when things typically get chaotic
Manager Amber Hussain, who is only 19 herself, said the problems happen consistently after school lets out. The restaurant can be relatively calm during other times of the day, but once dismissal time hits at nearby schools, everything changes. That’s when groups of 15 to 20 teenagers flood in, and according to Hussain’s description, they “trash the store” on a daily basis. She called one recent incident involving the ski masks and the attack on security a “crazy scene,” but it sounds like intense situations happen there all the time.
The daily pattern of chaos makes it clear why the owner felt something had to change. Running a business where you know that every single afternoon will bring violence and disorder isn’t sustainable. Employees shouldn’t have to worry about getting attacked at work, and customers shouldn’t have to dodge flying ice or watch people get jumped while they’re trying to eat. The fact that this has been the routine for years shows that previous attempts to control the situation weren’t working. Whether the new ID policy will actually solve the problem remains to be seen, but it’s definitely a bold attempt to take back control of the restaurant.
Videos of the policy went viral on social media
When Sania Bolasingh got carded at the door, she immediately pulled out her phone and recorded a video that she posted to TikTok. In the video, she expressed her shock at what was happening, saying “This is crazy, this is sick.” That video and others showing the signs and security guards checking IDs started spreading quickly on social media. People from all over the country weighed in with their opinions, with some thinking it’s a smart safety measure and others calling it discriminatory against young people.
The viral attention brought national focus to what was initially just a local Brooklyn issue. Suddenly people everywhere were talking about whether a McDonald’s should be allowed to restrict entry based on age, and whether this could become a trend at other fast food restaurants in areas with similar problems. Some commenters joked about needing ID to buy a Big Mac, while others shared their own experiences with dangerous or chaotic fast food locations in their cities. The whole situation sparked a broader conversation about safety, youth behavior, and how businesses should handle persistent problems that police seem unable to solve.
Local schools haven’t publicly addressed their role in this
One interesting aspect of this whole story is that the nearby schools haven’t made any public statements about what’s happening at the McDonald’s. The problems are clearly connected to students coming in after dismissal, yet there doesn’t seem to be any coordination between the schools and the restaurant to address the behavior. You’d think that if students are attacking people and destroying property at a local business, school administrators would want to step in and handle discipline on their end as well.
Without school involvement, the burden falls entirely on the business owner and local police to deal with the situation. The NYPD has responded to dozens of calls at this location, but clearly their presence hasn’t been enough to stop the ongoing problems. Some community members have suggested that schools should be taking a more active role, perhaps by identifying problem students through security camera footage or by implementing consequences for students who are caught causing trouble at local businesses. Until all the parties involved work together, including schools, police, and business owners, it’s hard to see how the underlying issues will truly be resolved.
The Brooklyn McDonald’s requiring ID checks might sound bizarre at first, but it’s a direct response to years of violence and chaos that the owner felt he had no other way to address. Whether this policy actually works long-term, or whether it’s even legal to restrict entry based solely on age, remains to be seen. What’s certain is that this story has people talking about the balance between keeping businesses safe and treating all customers fairly. For now, if you’re under 20 and want to grab some fries at this particular location, you’d better bring your ID and maybe your mom.
