I’m sure you’ve seen the signs in many fast food restaurants – “Refills are only for customers eating in or ordering now” in other words, don’t bring in a cup and expect a free refill or order a water and expect to get a fountain drink that you didn’t pay for. The ethics of fast food can have some interesting consequences – just ask Cody Morris.
Police say 18-year-old Cody Morris, an Arkansas man and two others drove through the McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered three large waters. They then parked, went into the restaurant, dumped out the water, and allegedly filled the cups with soda. Hum – converting free to stolen – such is the case when you look at the ethics of fast food.
According to a news report: “Morris’ accomplices returned their ill-gotten sodas when pressed by a manager, but Morris allegedly refused. That’s when the manager decided to stand behind the group’s car to prevent them from leaving. At this point it’s worth noting that—as Raw Story reports—a large soda at McDonald’s costs only $1.49 and comes with free refills.”
Assuming that they’d get away with this petty theft, police say they reversed their car into the McDonald’s manger, who was then hit by the car a second time when he reached through the window to try to pull the keys from the ignition. Speeding away, the manager called police. Again news reports say: “Officers found the car and Morris at a bowling alley, and he was arrested on suspicion of felony robbery. (Allegedly hitting the manager with the car is what presumably elevated the charges.)”
The ethics of fast food in this case is easy. You get what you pay for – no more. In this case it’s clear what their intent was – water for something more. But how many times have people purchased a drink from – say a McDonald’s – and then kept the cup going to another McDonald’s and using the cup to gain a free refill? That is not how the ethics of fast food is supposed to work.
Side note from the WGBA new report: “This isn’t the first time someone has been arrested for soda-related crimes at McDonald’s: In its coverage, WGBA notes that a Florida man was busted for repeatedly stealing soda from a McDonald’s in 2012. He was caught doing the same thing at a Pizza Hut a few months later.”
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