A downtown Seattle McDonald’s has removed its doors and now serves customers through a plexiglass hatch after repeated violence around the 3rd Avenue and Pine Street location.
At a Glance
- The restaurant’s dining room closed in 2020 and never reopened
- Locals have nicknamed the spot “McStabby’s” due to area crime
- A fatal 2020 shooting and a 2024 stabbing occurred steps from the entrance
- Why it matters: The setup shows how some urban businesses are adapting to keep workers safe amid persistent street violence
The double doors stay propped open at all times, and plywood covers the glass outside the hatch to shield it from vandalism, according to photos and witness accounts gathered by the Daily Mail.
Hatch-only service
Customers now walk up to a small window, ring a buzzer, and place orders through reinforced plexiglass. Staff slide food and drinks back through a metal slot. The arrangement, installed after the dining room closed for COVID-19, has become permanent because of continued crime in the area.
David Santillanes, who has owned and operated the franchise for 24 years, told The Independent that the lobby was first shut in 2020. He said the doors remain locked to protect employees.
“As a small business owner here in Seattle for 24 years, my team and I care deeply about feeding and serving this community,” Santillanes said. “We have implemented security measures at this location to allow us to keep supporting the neighborhood while ensuring the safety of our people.”
Local nickname: “McStabby’s”
Residents have given the restaurant the grim nickname “McStabby’s,” according to multiple interviews conducted by the Daily Mail. Nick, a 45-year-old who is no longer homeless but still visits the area, said people regularly “do drugs and attack each other” outside the restaurant.
“When it’s dark, it’s way worse-way more people getting assaulted and robbed,” Nick told the outlet.
He recounted standing near a lamppost outside the McDonald’s in January 2020 when a shooting erupted, killing one woman and injuring seven others, including a 9-year-old boy.
“I watched a girl get shot and killed right here,” Nick said, gesturing toward the spot. “It was a horrible shooting.”
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best confirmed at the time that officers “responded immediately” and found victims across a one-block radius. “Officers immediately started lifesaving measures,” she said, according to USA Today.
Recent stabbing
Violence continued after the pandemic. In February 2024, Matthew, 29, was stabbed in the head while waiting for food with his partner, Christopher Burns.
“This random guy came up and started kicking our dog and attacking my partner,” Burns told Komo News. Police arrested a suspect blocks away.
A young McDonald’s employee, speaking anonymously to the Daily Mail, pointed to the sidewalk and said, “I’ve seen some physical assaults, just right here. People tripping out, just a bunch of stuff.”
Police response
The Seattle Police Department told News Of Los Angeles that officers patrol downtown “on a 24/7 basis.” A spokesperson said the department runs “bike patrols, foot beats, warrant arrests, weapons arrests, and drug enforcement” along 3rd Avenue and Pine Street “when not responding to emergency calls for service.”
The corner sits three blocks south of Pike Place Market, one of Seattle’s busiest tourist destinations, yet the surrounding blocks have long struggled with open-air drug use, assaults, and property crime.
Business adaptation
Santillanes said he works with local community organizations to “effect positive change” but offered no timeline for reopening the dining room. The franchise owner stressed that the hatch setup allows the restaurant to stay open while keeping staff safe.
McDonald’s corporate did not respond to News Of Los Angeles‘s request for comment.
Customers who want Big Macs or McNuggets must now queue on the sidewalk, order through the hatch, and receive food from a sliding metal tray. The plywood barrier bolted over the glass deters rocks or other objects from shattering the window, according to staff.
Despite the precautions, the location remains open daily, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to walk-up patrons. The drive-thru was not mentioned in any of the interviews or statements, suggesting it may operate normally.
Key takeaways
- A 24-hour police presence has not stopped assaults outside the restaurant
- The hatch system, installed for COVID, is now a permanent security feature
- Local workers and residents say crime spikes after dark
- Owner David Santillanes calls the measures necessary to protect employees
