McDonalds opening on ‘Otley Run’ route this week

The popular fast food chain’s latest premises is set to open on Wednesday 29th October on Otley Road, where thousands of punters flock to each week for the famous ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl. 

Opposition has come from residents as the area houses restaurants from rival franchises such as Burger King and Pizza Hut, with concerns over healthy eating. 

Concerns also come from how the new restaurant will be managed during the Pub crawls busiest times every Saturday. 

The Otley Run is a pub crawl across the three miles down Otley Road from Woodies in far Headingley, to Dry Dock on the edge of the city centre, attracting up to 4,000 people every Saturday to its 19-pub list often in fancy dress. 

There was Increased calls for Otley Run Safety as Counter Terror Police Investigate the Crossbow Incident that happened in April, earlier this year. 

Backlash has come from MP’s and Councillors as well as residents. 

When referring to the Otley Run, the Leeds Centre and Headingley MP, Alex Sobel wrote on his website,

‘We know how disruptive this issue can be. There’s no quick fix- but progress is being made’

Mr Sobel also said, 

‘McDonald’s has a reputation for antisocial behaviour and fights particularly during late opening hours, with many having to employ door staff. Whilst the application currently states that the restaurant will close at 11pm the specific drinking culture would provide fertile ground for this behaviour much earlier in the day’

In a post to Facebook in June, Councillors Abdul Hannan and Jonathan Pryor said

‘The nearest residential property is only around 25 metres away, so it cannot be right that this becomes a focal point for the gathering of people post- Otley run into the early hours of the morning’

Speaking to the Gryphon, one student said,

‘I love McDonalds and I think it’s good that one is opening in Headingley because the Kirkstall one is further away for me but I would never go to the new one on a Saturday as I know it would be full of Otley Runners’ 

When approached for a comment, a McDonald’s spokesperson said, 

‘We are excited about the opportunity to open a new restaurant in Headingley, bringing significant investment and new jobs to the local area. At McDonald’s we strive to be a good neighbour in the communities in which we operate, and we look forward to working together with the local community and stakeholders to address any concerns they may have’ 

A final year student who goes to Leeds Beckett and lives in headingley but would like to remain anonymous she said,

 “That McDonald’s will be absolutely mental on a Saturday. Even as a student, I would avoid it on a Saturday as there will just be too many drunk Otley runners”. 

They went on to say, “I suppose it may take the edge off the other restaurants because you can’t go many places in Headingley without a booking on a Saturday. But McDonald’s itself will just be a mess.”