JOM: Jayb, Yeah, as a parent I recommend every child have their skull fractured by a short tempered adult in order to build character...ya nong.

I never suggested violence, but it was the first thing you thought of. Strange. I would have called the Manager. It's his job to sort these kids out.

Runner,

Have a good look at yourself and where you eat (particularly next time).

I simply would have said nothing and left. Why? You've probably scared these people off from going back to McDonalds even again. This sees:

1. These kids not being able to get potential food poisoning
2. Them not being overweight & wasting life on the couch eating junk
3. Not having to be told by their doctor they're dying from illness

Personally, McDonald's is all about crappy, cheap, unhealthy food and money - your 90 year old mother in law deserves better than that.

Try Subway - at least it has some healthier options on the menu.

I have only read the early posts on this, but a few suggested leaving, I question why should Runner and his mother-in-law have to be inconvenienced by kids behaving badly. If you use the following link to complain, Macca's actually get back to you, and you should score a free burger to boot. I have used it several times. with good results. What is important to remember is McDonald's are delusional about themselves, for example they truly believe they operate "restaurants" when in fact everyone knows they operate junk food outlets. The senior staff, the ones over 17 and almost 18 believe the corporate propaganda, so they can be putty in the right hands.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/contact_us/restaurant_feedback.html

Runner and others, most clubs have a nice lunch time meal for about $10, some pubs too. Much better value than you know who.

One for the other side!

My son who is a government bus driver was telling me this. Three loud mouthed kids got on, didn't pay, sat right down the back, swearing, feet on seats etc, just being generally obnoxious. After several stops they were the only 3 left on board, about half a dozen stops from the terminus out at the old hospital site near La Perouse. My son flicked the bell off and took the bus up to 60 along Anzac Pde. Next things the young mugs are trying to ring the bell to get off, son speeds past their stop and the next, they are calling out "stop we want to get off" son said "that bell must not be working, try another!". Kid comes running up we wanted to get off, son ok I pull up where its safe....there at the hospital stop (terminus anyway), Gee mister, thanks mister, ha ha they had a good walk back to where they were going, and they were none the wise'er. I told son "be careful"!

Good for you runner. I would have done exactly the same.

A little story you might like to hear, if not ignore it.

I was in uniform years ago, buying some 'sangers' at lunchtime in a local sandwich shop in busy Parramatta shopping centre. I'd walked from the Police Station, (I was on Station duties that week), a distance of 750-800 yards, and I was on my own.

Standing at the counter waiting to be served, I heard words to the effect,

"...what's that 'f...n' stink..."? "...oh a lousy gutless, 'c...t' pig...". "...looks like a pig, smells like a 'f....n' pig..." !

Laughter emerging from these two slugs, while other people were nervously looking around at me, many embarrassed for me ?

It was a weekday and there were two of them, both 'known to police', quite big, aged around 25-28 years ? Those days I didn't even have a hand-held transceiver. I could've 'done' them for 'unseemly words', 'serious alarm and affront' and several other charges, but what could I do on my own ? Mobile phones didn't even exist in those days ?

Some eight or ten weeks later, I was in Castle Hill on a Thursday evening, doing some late night shopping, again on my own, when I saw one of these intellectual giants in the car park ? I spoke to this bloke and of course his tiny brain had not registered any recognition of me. I slowly explained to him, his mother wore Army boots, and his father was a fairy ! Apparently this enraged him somewhat ?

Being taller then I, he came at me pretty hard screaming expletives, thinking he'd picked his mark. Actually this poor soul ended up 'sucking (car-park) concrete'! As they always say, 'revenge' is always best, when served cold !