Spending the Night in McDonald's

I interviewed some Hong Kong residents who spent the night at McDonald's. They were an interesting group of individuals who, by choice or circumstance could be found in the 24-hr fast food restaurant for different lengths of time.


" I don't have a home. I usually spend my nights in the internet cafe if I get paid. There I can surf the web, chat online and eat noodles very cheaply. If I'm broke, it'll be the park or McDonalds."

"I come here every night. It's cleaner and safer. I even see women sleeping here! And it's definitely warmer during the winter months."

"Here I can get a cup of water from the counter staff. Some are nice as they know we have no money. But I also try not to create trouble."

'Why McDonald's? The use of the toilet of course. It's convenient especially for me. And I can also wash up in the morning"

"I'm not here every night. I can't sleep so came here to get something to eat and read the newspaper."

"Some staff can be quite mean. They will deliberately switched on the lights at the corner of the restaurant even though no one is around or they will put up some barrier to prevent us from using the space."

"You need to know how to sleep here. If you lay your head on the table, they will come wake you up. So you try to sleep upright. Not easy but you get used to it."

"I have a few McDonalds around the neighborhood where I go to each week. I try not to stay in the same restaurant every night because they may not like it. So I'll rotate my stay and so far it has been OK."

"I just finished work, so came here for some food before going home. Yes, I see many who seem to be using this place to sleep. I'm fine as long as they are considerate. It's empty anyway."