Review of McDonald’s Kids Meal Book Choice

As a parent, I am incredibly disappointed with the experience I had at McDonald's Liberty Promenade mall in Mitchell's Plain recently. After purchasing kids' meals for my children, I was surprised and frustrated to find that the books included with the meals were written entirely in Xhosa/Zulu, languages my children do not understand. Living in a predominantly coloured, English, and Afrikaans-speaking area, I did not expect this oversight.

The books did not even include translations to English or Afrikaans, which could have been a more inclusive approach. McDonald's really missed the mark here. While I understand and support the promotion of diversity and cultural awareness, this should be done in a way that caters to the demographic of the community they are serving. My children were excited for the books, but instead, we were left with something they couldn’t engage with at all.

McDonald’s has some explaining to do and needs to reconsider how they approach inclusivity in a thoughtful and practical way. A simple solution would have been to offer a choice of books in various languages, ensuring that parents and children can enjoy the meal experience fully, no matter what language they speak.