Earlier this week we alerted you a “Tecoma-like” situation unfolding on the other side of the world. It was a popular post so we thought we would update you on the Baragalla situation.

NO! Is a word that McDonald’s keep hearing from communities that don’t want them. This week the community of Baragalla launched a design for posters and flyers, that in many ways echoes the cries Tecoma made from the start. The translation for the Baragalla poster reads:

No increase in traffic in an already congested area
No increase in smog in residential areas Ricardo Street
No increase in cement (Structure and parking)
Signatures Even You!

McDonald’s need to understand that to ignore community concerns is a recipe for disaster. In the Tecoma case McDonald’s had to weather a negative PR storm that ended up being labeled by Fairfax media as “Australia’s biggest corporate PR disaster” Despite pushing ahead and opening the unwanted store, it remains unsupported and is fast becoming a monument to their folly.

Baragalla also is receiving plenty of media including front page stories in the local press this week. You can find out more on their Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/NoMacInBaragalla?fref=ts

Maybe we should investigate “sister city status” for Tecoma and Baragalla due to our common concerns.