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McDonald’s Owner Gives Away 10,000 Meals 2 Days After Hurricane Laura

Author Glennisha Morgan
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 04: The McDonald's logo is displayed on a restaurant following the firing of their CEO, Steve Easterbrook on November 4, 2019 in New York City. Easterbrook stated "This was a mistake," after he engaged in a consensual relationship with an employee that violated company policy.

An owner of various McDonald’s in Lousiana made a call to corporate the day after Hurricane Laura ripped through parts of LA and Texas, and a mobile restaurant arrived in Lake Charles to assist with feeding families who were in need of a hot meal, as CNN reports.

Laura, which was the strongest hurricane to hit the state of Louisiana since 1856, caused many to go without basic necessities. Homes and businesses were damaged, power lines were knocked down, and flooding took place in some areas.

The hurricane also left six people dead in Louisiana, four from falling trees. “Pictures don’t do it (destruction) justice,” the owner, Rikesh Patel said. “It’s so much worse than what you’re seeing on social media.”

Without electricity and running water, making fresh and warm meals can be difficult. Patel’s swift thinking prompted him to call the fast-food behemoth’s corporate office a day following Laura’s landfall in hopes of garnering a self-sustained mobile kitchen known as the McRig. The day after a mobile kitchen arrived from Kentucky.

Afterward, Patel united whatever staff members he could to work the truck and serve as many people as possible. Six days later, the owner said they served over 10,000 free brown bag meals of McDonald’s cheeseburgers, fries, and bottled water.
“It was just really neat to see the whole family aspect, of how we’ve always said we’re like a family and it just really came to life during such a tragedy,” Patel said. He owns and operates 25 McDonald’s in Louisiana, eight of which are in Lake Charles and nearby areas. According to Patel, his Lake Charles locations were the most affected and remain closed due to power loss or not having running water. There also has been some severe building damage.
Patel offered his employees who came back time and a half pay and housing for those whose houses were damaged. CNN was told by a McDonald’s spokesperson that the McRigs are typically used for disaster relief and community events.

Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter @GlennishaMorgan.

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