Over 40 Black Former McDonald’s Franchisees Join Forces In Boycott Against The Fast Food Company
A group of Black former McDonald’s franchisees is joining the call for a boycott of the fast food chain, alleging systemic racial discrimination.
Over 40 Black franchisees had filed a class action lawsuit across more than 12 states in January 2023, claiming unfair practices and unequal treatment, according to a press release.
“When many of us entered the McDonald’s franchise program, we discovered the corporation would relegate us to only buying stores with lower profits and higher costs,” according to a statement representing the former McDonald’s franchisees. “When many of us tried to buy stores with greater profits, we were denied, and had to watch those more lucrative stores go to white owners. While we struggled to make our stores profitable, we were consistently faced with unreasonable demands that white owners did not face, and we were consistently denied support and financial relief that white owners were routinely offered.”
The former store owners allege that issues, as well as proposed solutions, they brought up were met with resistance and “overtly racist responses from McDonald’s executives.” Despite their efforts to revitalize struggling stores, they were forced to sell them to white operators well below their value, per to the statement.
Vicki Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal, both former senior directors at McDonald’s in Dallas, had also filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s in 2020, according to The Guardian. They claimed that the company created a “hostile and abusive work environment,” specifically for Black executives and franchisees.
In July 2018, the two were demoted from vice presidents to senior directors. They claimed it was part of a wider corporate restructuring conducted under former CEO Steve Easterbrook, who took on the role in 2015.
Guster-Hines and Neal claimed that their demotions were discriminatory and are seeking compensation, The Guardian reported at the time. The lawsuit also alleged that McDonald’s decreased the number of Black people in high-ranking corporate positions in “a ruthless purge.”
McDonald’s refuted the claims, saying in a statement to The Guardian that 45% of its corporate officers and all of its field vice presidents are people of color.
“At McDonald’s, our actions are rooted in our belief that a diverse, vibrant, inclusive and respectful company makes us stronger,” the company told the outlet at the time. “While we disagree with characterizations in the complaint, we are currently reviewing it and will respond to the complaint accordingly.”
McDonald’s is among the various corporations to dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals as of January 2025, AFROTECH™ previously reported.
The move discontinued a program aimed at increasing diversity among its suppliers, which came as no surprise to the former Black franchisees, who are now joining the call for consumers to participate in a nationwide boycott of McDonald’s June 24–30, led by The People’s Union USA.
“So abandoning their stated values is nothing new to McDonald’s: they long ago abandoned us, their Black franchisees. And, by doing so, the McDonald’s corporation also abandoned its alleged commitment to the Black communities it relies on for its customers and employees,” the former franchise owners said in the news release. “As Black entrepreneurs we tried to build wealth in those communities, we tried to give back to those communities, but we all were forced out in favor of white owners.”
The statement continued, “We join The People’s Union USA and other organizations and community leaders in calling for a boycott of McDonald’s until they keep their promises, renew their commitment to the Black community, and finally do right by the Black owners and operators like us who deserved—but did not get—a fair shot at success.”
