RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Athletes are allegedly flooding the Olympic Village McDonald’s with massive orders. The Washington Post reported this week that, contrary to popular belief, athletes have an insatiable penchant for McDonald’s food — typically gobbling more than a dozen meals in a single sitting.
“By the final few days, when most sports are finished, [McDonald’s] can barely keep up as each athlete lines up to order 27 cheese burgers, 40 Chicken McNuggets, 12 sundaes and a diet Coke before collecting the food and walking away without needing to pay,” Australian Olympic swimmer Melanie Wright wrote in The Courier Mail.
In the spirit of celebrating athletes in Rio, the Olympic Village McDonald’s has been treating athletes and coaches to free meals, but due to the extreme demand, which has caused massive lines to form, McDonald’s announced yesterday it will be placing a cap on its free food by limiting athletes to 20 items per order. Although the QSR had hoped to ease some congestion, many locals are still citing huge lines. Regardless of losing priority and having to wait longer for additional items, many are still going over the 20-item limit.
In spite of the cost of feeding Olympians for free, the fast-food chain has benefitted greatly from the 2016 Olympics. McDonald’s is one of few companies permitted by the International Olympic Committee to use its official hashtags, #Rio2016 and #TeamUSA.
