The McDonald's That Plays Classical Music

They did this at the downtown Dallas MCD's years ago to drive off teens/gang members.

It worked.

I guess I can't really figure out why this is something that interesting. There's a McDonald's in San Jose that does the same thing with classical music.

When eating there, I find it a shame that there are some tunes I really like, but have no way on earth how to find out their names (if they even have names beyond opus numbers and movements). It's not like I can just ask anyone there or use that song identifier thingy on my cell phone.

It's on our 16th Street pedestrian mall, and since the eighties they've always had problems with people loitering outside, especially young people. It was related to me that they started playing classical because it was annoying to the younger crowd, thus acting as a deterrent to loitering.

Will C is correct. They do the same thing at the McDonald's in downtown Seattle but sometimes they alternate between classical and country music. It doesn't always work though when many young kids have music blaring through their ipod headphones anyway.

This street is filled with music. Lots of drummers and guitarists, sometimes saxophones. There are even pianos all along the street for people to play.

"For some reason"? Do you need a reason to play classical music? It beats hearing Lady frakking Gaga and Katy frakking Perry over and over again, which seems to be the norm everywhere at the moment.

Will and Marty are on to something. In London they had a huge problem with people loitering around the streets and parks in the area so they started pumping classical music over loudspeakers in those areas. It worked like a charm.
They're thinking was that this genre of music instills a sense of "upper-crust" that many view as a form of authority. It makes the riffraff feel uncomfortable so they leave.

Funny story: Minneapolis had a similar problem on a downtown street known as Nicollet Mall. The city inadvertently lowered crime on that street by pumping classical music through a speaker system that is at the base of some of the lamp posts running along it. I say "inadvertently" because their intention was to promote The MN Orchestra that's located on the same street.

For this reason probably.

The McD's by my university featured a flute and guitar classical duo on Sundays. Way back when.

There are lots of gangs on 16th street mall and they play classical to make them look more inteligent

Umm, Guys, this is Neatorama. This is not here because it is news. It is here because it is neat.

Edward, I think the point is that it shouldn't necessarily BE "neat" when a public place plays classical music because a) it's a pretty common thing in urban environments as a means of deterrent and b) if you're in the "target audience" or someone who doesn't think classical music is crap, you can certainly find plenty of it on any given NPR/university station. To me, this post was about as neat as someone reporting on their local restroom hosting a push-button air dryer for hands. Sorry -- just don't find this update or the video that spectacular for any reason!

Its to lull the homeless people that hang out on the 16th St Mall to sleep on the tan plastic benches. Because It is always fun to grab a burger with a guy that smells like gin sleeping in the corner

Funny, its the same music we played at the funeral home I use to work at.

I live in Denver, and it's not to drive off young people, it keeps the damned hobos away! And it seems to work pretty well.

In my town (In Western Sydney, Australia) our main street has Macy Gray playing as a loitering deterrent. No joke.

They should play Barry Manilow and keep everyone away. Fight Obesity.