The McDonald’s in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump famously worked the fryer during a campaign photo-op, is currently drowning in a wave of fake Yelp reviews following his visit.
In response to the influx of reviews—ranging from humorous to politically charged—Yelp has temporarily disabled the review feature for this location. “While we don’t take a stand one way or the other regarding this incident, we’ve temporarily disabled the posting of content to this page as we investigate whether the reviews reflect genuine consumer experiences,” Yelp announced.
Before this action, the reviews included some cheeky critiques.
“Senile old man got bronzer on my fries, didn’t wear gloves,” one user quipped, alongside a one-star rating. Another added humorously, “The fries were too salty as if someone who lost a major election had been crying over them for an hour,” referencing Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election.
Criticism was also directed at the McDonald’s franchise for allowing the publicity stunt.
One reviewer remarked, “Stay away from this location. It closed its doors for a fake political photo op,” while another expressed disbelief stating, “Went to this McDonalds to try the new chicken big Mac and was stunned to see a convicted felon operating the drive through. Your company hires felons? Also closing the store for the day to perform this political theater is crazy to me.”
Comments about the exploitation of workers for political gain were prevalent, with one user stating, “Exploitation of their workers for political purpose was despicable. Do not support this franchise owner for allowing this to happen.”
On the flip side, some Trump supporters took to Yelp to praise the former president. “The best McDonald’s I’ve ever been to in 47 years. The older employee was extremely nice. Make McDonald’s Great Again,” one review stated.
Yelp has assured users that its moderators will work to ensure that only authentic customer reviews will remain once the activity settles down.
Trump’s visit was a jab at Kamala Harris, who he has claimed “never worked” at a fast food restaurant, despite her own account of working at McDonald’s during college. “I’ve now worked 15 minutes more than Kamala,” Trump joked to reporters.
In response to the backlash, McDonald’s issued a memo stating, “McDonald’s does not endorse candidates for elected office, and that remains true in this race for the next President.”
Employees were informed that the franchise owner, Derek Giacomantonio, was notified by local law enforcement about Trump’s visit and was “proud” to showcase his team’s efforts.
While most McDonald’s locations are independently owned and operated, franchise owners have the discretion to invite political figures, as long as they comply with corporate guidelines.
