In what is now a two-year-old dispute, Paris lawmakers this week opposed the opening of a new McDonald’s franchise in one of the French capital’s oldest and most picturesque roads.
The plan to inaugurate a two-story McDonald’s restaurant on the corner of Rue Réaumur and Rue des Petits-Carreaux – in the heart of the historic Montorgueil area – has come up against stiff resistance from residents and local leaders.
The pedestrian-only Rue de Montorgueil, which extends into the Rue des Petits-Carreaux, is renowned for its quaint shops, old cafés and fashionable restaurants. Queen Elizabeth II famously strolled down the street in 2004 as part of ceremonies marking the 100th anniversary of the "Entente cordiale" between Britain and France.
District mayor Jacques Boutault, a member of France’s green EELV party, has taken up the fight against McDonald’s, petitioning City Hall to block the hamburger giant from expanding on his turf.
Boutault said he wants to keep McDonald’s out in order to protect Montorgueil’s traditional shopkeepers from cutthroat competition and its children from unhealthy eating habits.
Residents and business owners have also expressed fear that the arrival of a multinational like McDonald’s will destroy the street’s identity, as well as raise rents and price them out of the historic area.
http://www.france24.com/en/20150702-paris-rejects-bid-new-mcdonald-historic-street-again
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