G-A-Y announces it will serve McDonald’s to get around new COVID rules and the gays are lovin’ it
G-A-Y at Heaven will serve McDonalds. (Getty)
London’s G-A-Y at Heaven is to serve food from McDonald’s in order to comply with COVID-19 regulations and naturally, the news has come with a side of extra large memes.
With England’s Tier 2 regulations requiring pubs and bars to serve a substantial meal in order to reopen after lockdown, some venues are being forced to think outside the box.
Among them is G-A-Y at Heaven, with owner Jeremy Joseph announcing that the famed haunt will partner with McDonald’s in order to resume its regular Saturday night activities on 5 December.
The announcement divided the internet with some commending G-A-Y for its nugget of creativity, others bemoaning the move, and more still using the situation to have some fun.
https://twitter.com/JeremyJoseph/status/1332041039851507718
https://twitter.com/rorhor/status/1332103406920593411
Me collecting my McDonalds for G-A-Y entry. pic.twitter.com/x3aOJ3cwg3
— Mr Hits (@darrenjl) November 26, 2020
pic.twitter.com/I6ndTsad9z— Courtney Cox Coquette (@MonopolyPhonic) November 26, 2020
The only McDonalds I want at G-A-Y: pic.twitter.com/egN7zSlJEQ— And I’m Victoria, Malcolm… ✌🏻🐑 (@husseybyname) November 26, 2020
honestly, between a gay magazine apologising for platforming transphobia by posting a stock photo of some flowers, and G-A-Y partnering with mcdonalds, tonight is truly a beautiful night for gay twitter to shine 😭— alex 🦥 (@aaalex555) November 26, 2020
G-A-Y owner Jeremy Joseph has been a vocal critic of the government’s handling of the hospitality industry.
In October Jeremy Joseph launched a legal challenge against Boris Johnson’s 10pm curfew, arguing the rule would put many “out of business”.
However, in a statement on 28 October Jospeh said a court had refused other the case. He vowed to continue fighting in the hopes of securing an oral hearing.
“We still haven’t seen evidence that comes close to justifying the curfew,” he added. “If the government had something convincing we would have hoped to have seen it by now. It doesn’t.”
Since then, Johnson has amended the 10pm lockdown. Now, venues will have to call last orders by 10pm, with punters allowed until 11pm to finish their drinks.
Queer venues across the country have taken a hit throughout the pandemic.
The number of LGBT+ venues in London had already shrunk from 124 in 2006 to just 47 in 2017, with astronomical rents and business rates and redevelopment forcing many institutions to permanently close.
While the number of venues had remained stable for the past two years, closures, restrictions and reduced footfall has put the future of many in jeopardy.
