Hindley St McDonalds in Adelaide is taking precautions after multiple incidents

A McDonald’s restaurant on a busy city night-life strip has ‘finally’ taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of customers and staff after several ‘vile and abusive’ incidents.

SafeWork SA ordered the fast-food company to install safety screens in the Hindley St store in Adelaide’s CBD which operates 24 hours a day.

Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) Josh Peak welcomed the upgrade on Thursday, describing the McDonald’s on Hindley as ‘clearly the most unsafe establishment,’

‘Customers were able to walk behind the counter unrestricted, products were thrown at workers, workers were spat on,’ Mr Peak told reporters.

‘We know the workers at the store now feel safer, because they are safer.

There have been a number of late-night incidents at Hindley St McDonald’s caught on film (including this one)

The McDonald’s is a popular spot for revellers after nights out in the Adelaide CBD

‘Workers no longer have to worry about products being thrown at them, they’ll no longer have to worry about being spat on, they no longer have to worry about people going behind the counter and visibly threatening or assaulting them.’

He said the union had run a campaign for many years telling customers it’s important to do the right thing.

‘But it is so hard to control customer behaviour at 2am on a Sunday morning, and that’s why these physical barriers are so important,’ he said.

‘We are incredibly pleased that real physical measures have now been taken.’

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He said the physical shields were the best solution to stopping violent incidents because they physically stop people from ‘crossing the line.’

But he was critical of the decision to remove security guards.

‘McDonald’s removed their security guards – they made a decision to take that protection away. Security guards aren’t the answers to everything,’ he said.

‘Sometimes security guards aren’t able to step in but they are a good deterrent.’

Nooria Halake, 19, was allegedly filmed yelling at staff behind the counter before walking into the kitchen area and helping herself to food

South Australia police will allege the woman damaged a door and threw a bottle of water at staff

He said the location had also become one of the first franchises to install duress alarms.

The action comes after a string of incidents in the store, including two involving two young women who are now going through the court system.

In October 2022, Mia Miller, who had just turned 18, was filmed throwing food and allegedly spitting on Hindley Street Maccas staff after a night out.

She faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court charged with disorderly behaviour, assaulting a worker and spitting.

In December of last year, just a few months later, Nooria Halake, 19, was allegedly filmed yelling at staff behind the counter before walking into the kitchen area and helping herself to food.

Both women will appear in court again in the coming months.