McDonald’s restaurant in Għargħur is the third McDonald’s restaurant in Malta featuring a Quiet Space – a dedicated room within the restaurant purposely designed for children and people with autism or other sensory difficulties and equipped with noise-cancelling headphones and sensory toys.
McDonald’s was the first restaurant in Malta to receive the Autism-Friendly accreditation, with the first one inaugurated in 2022 at McDonald’s MIA followed by a second one at McDonald’s in St Julian’s, an initiative that has recently also earned Premier Restaurants Malta Ltd. the Malta Chamber’s Bronze Award for Leadership in Inclusivity at the last Business Awards.
“This latest addition of a third Quiet Space in Għargħur completes this project in which we sought to provide one such space in the south, one in central Malta and now, one in the north, thus making it easier for customers to reach and access these facilities,” said Petre Tintoi, General Manager at Premier Restaurants Malta Ltd.
McDonald’s Quiet Space Purposely Caters For Customers With Sensory Difficulties
McDonald’s Quiet Space was designed in its entirety in consultation with Prisms Malta, an NGO that caters for the requirements of young people as well as with direct input from the Autism Parents’ Association. Adequate training was also given to the respective Store Managers and McDonald’s also appointed several Autism Ambassadors who have received specific training to be proficient in facilitating a better experience for the customers using these spaces.
Dr Audrey Komri Jones, whose daughter has autism regularly accompanies her daughter to McDonald’s Quiet Space.
“Knowing there is a quiet space for my child where there aren’t that many people and knowing that we will always find an adequate place where to sit down, helps us relax and enjoy the unique experience that McDonald’s has to offer,” said Dr Komri Jones.
“Despite being accessible to all customers, the three Quiet Spaces at McDonald’s prioritise people with autism and sensory difficulties. These restaurants also operate Autism Friendly hours on Mondays and Thursdays between 15:00 and 16:30, during which the entire restaurant applies dimmer lighting and lower noise levels,” added Petre Tintoi.
