Another McDonalds restaurant is set to open in Huddersfield - this one will be in the Gallagher Retail Park, on Wakefield Rd, Waterloo. Planning permission was granted in May (by Kirklees Council) for a drive-through restaurant, and it is now known to be the McDonalds chain.
I visited the McDonalds on Leeds Rd a few weeks ago. I was meeting someone on business on a Thursday morning, and McDonalds is quite handy because of the free WiFi internet access. The person I was meeting was running late, so I stayed there working on my laptop until they arrived which was about an hour later than expected.
What I hadn't appreciated is that you get a parking fine if you park there for more than 60 minutes so I got a fine sent to me through the post. I appealed against it but was told (by the company who act on behalf on McDonalds) that the fine was applied correctly. They gave me about 7 days to pay the £75 before the fine increased to £95.
That would have been a very expensive business meeting and lunch!
I decided to call in and speak to the manageress who explained that they were discouraging people from just leaving cars parked and then walking to the local retail park or the Galpharm Stadium, particularly on match days. I can understand that, but why then do they impose fines to genuine customers who did not leave the premises at all, eat and drink there, and on a quiet Thursday morning?
She did see my point and the good news is that they cancelled the fine.
