A McDonald's in Greenwich Village is hiring off-duty NYPD officers to guard the restaurant after midnight, after complaints that the fast-food restaurant is plagued by trouble late at night.
The restaurant will hire a paid detail and make the area safer, according to Brad Hoylman, chair of the local community board.
Hoylman says he's been pushing for greater security at the 24-hour fast-food joint since October, when an employee beat a woman with a metal rod after she and her friend jumped the counter, allegedly to attack him.
That incident was also caught on video and rapidly went viral. Charges filed against the employee were later dropped.
Then, another brutal brawl erupted outside the restaurant on St. Patrick's Day. Video of that was also posted on YouTube.
"It just attracts the worst behavior and people who have been having a good time, sometimes too good a time, they often end up here," Hoylman said of the restaurant.
The high-profile fights have given the McDonald's a reputation as a place for trouble. Council Speaker Christine Quinn urged her constituents to boycott the restaurant until it improved security.
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A follow-up meeting is scheduled to discuss other safety suggestions after the off-duty officers are put into place.
Other ideas proposed include giving the NYPD remote access to the security cameras and cutting off the seating area in the early morning hours.
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