In Colombo, McDonald’s outlets in Sri Lanka closed on Sunday following a legal dispute between the US fast-food giant and its local franchise holder over alleged hygiene issues, according to court officials.
The Commercial High Court of Colombo ordered the closures until April 4 after McDonald’s parent company accused the local franchise holder of failing to uphold international hygiene standards. A court official stated that the closure was ordered pending an investigation.
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Lawyers representing McDonald’s informed the court that they had terminated the franchise agreement with the local company Abans last week. The hearing is set to resume in early April. Neither McDonald’s nor Abans provided immediate comments regarding the matter. Abans has held the franchise with 12 outlets since McDonald’s establishment in Sri Lanka in 1998. Notices outside the McDonald’s outlets on Sunday indicated their closure, with no indication of when they might reopen.
Despite a recent technology glitch disrupting ordering at stores across much of East Asia, Sri Lanka’s McDonald’s outlets remained unaffected.
