by Nick Castele
Big Macs, Filet o' Fish, Quarter Pounders and French fries will soon be off the menu at the Cleveland Clinic food court. McDonald’s is closing, after the hospital didn’t renew the fast food chain’s lease.
The Cleveland Clinic began trying to oust McDonald’s from its food area 10 years ago, when Dr. Toby Cosgrove took over as the hospital’s CEO. The restaurant didn’t budge, and the standoff drew national headlines. But after 20 years in the hospital, the lease ends September 18, and the Clinic finally succeeded.
The Clinic says it’s trying to improve the health of employees and visitors. It’s using both carrots and sticks to get there.
"We have really taken more of a holistic approach," Clinic communications director Eileen Sheil said, "and encouraged exercising and walking up the stairs, and taking sugared drinks out of our vending machines, and candy bars."
In the Clinic’s food court, some people were receptive to the idea—and others were wary. Linda Lysakowski, who was visiting a patient, said it’s good to see McDonald’s go.
"It’s high-caloric food and high-fat food," Lysakowski said. "I agree, get something healthier in here."
There are already a few other options nearby—like sandwiches from Subway or Au Bon Pain.
But McDonald’s does have some things going for it, says nurse Marnae Jackson: It’s cheap and popular with kids, making a long hospital visit easier for parents on a tight budget.
"It’s probably not the healthiest thing to eat," Jackson said, "but when you have children and you’re here all day, what else is there to get for them that will suffice being full?”
Still, if the hospital replaced McDonald’s with a restaurant serving healier food that’s also inexpensive, she says she’d be for it. That’s what the Clinic says it’s working on next.
