Overview

• A McDonald’s franchise in Franconia, Virginia, has temporarily prohibited customers under 21 from dining inside due to recurring incidents of student violence.
• The policy allows minors to use the drive-thru, order curbside pickup via mobile app, or dine indoors if accompanied by a chaperone.
• Virginia’s public accommodations law prohibits age-based discrimination for those 18 and older but includes an exception for local ordinances barring under-21 entry.
• Legal analysis from Reason.com suggests the dine-in ban may violate state law, as it denies services to 18-to-20-year-olds without individualized justification.
• The franchise defends the measure as a necessary response to weekly incidents of violence and disruptive behavior, which have frustrated staff and patrons.