A dad was left horrified and comparing a McDonald's to a "scene from Ratatouille" as a family of rats emerged from bushes before rushing towards the drive-thru.
Andy took his daughter, 18, through the drive-thru at the Willerby Shopping Park McDonald's in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, at about 10pm on October 29 after finishing his work shift.
But he got more than just a Big Mac and fries when he spotted about eight rats leaving the nearby bushes and rushing across the drive-thru lane.
The dad described the rats as "running under cars" and "leaping over rat traps", comparing the scene to Disney's Ratatouille where a rat aspires to become a renowned French chef, but struggles to realise diners don't like rodents.
McDonald's believed recent construction as the possible reason for the disturbance, but said that it took hygiene very seriously, and has been in contact with retail park management to assess the situation, HullLive reports.
"I had just picked my daughter up and we went to the Willerby McDonald's to get a snack at around 10pm last weekend," said Andy.
"I had already ordered and paid for the meals when I noticed rats in the bushes.
"It wasn't just one or two, because I know that can be quite common.
"There were around eight rats that came from the bushes and ran under cars and over rat traps - I thought it was a scene from Ratatouille.
"I felt ill when I saw them and my daughter was scared at the sight of them all. I won't be going back there now."
A McDonald’s spokesperson told the Mirror: “We take cleanliness and hygiene very seriously, including in the area surrounding the restaurant. This is the first time our restaurant team has been made aware of a pest sighting at the drive-thru in Willerby.
"Pest control experts carry out regular routine checks of the site which is standard practice to ensure we maintain our standards.
"We have, however, been in contact with the company that manage the retail park and urged them to assess the situation.”
It is not the first time fast food restaurants in the area have attracted rodents.
Earlier this year, the KFC restaurant on Hessle Road was forced to temporarily close amid a mouse infestation.
There have not been any sightings so far of rats or mice inside the McDonald's restaurants.
The latest food hygiene rating in 2018 gave the Willerby McDonald's a five-star rating.
