By Jacky Gerzema
While the ability to jump out of bed at 3 a.m. and drive to McDonald's after waking up from a dream about chocolate milkshakes may be ideal to many people, some nearby residents say that the new 24-hour operation is an annoyance and a setting for potential danger.
"This is a bedroom community and McDonald's is a family restaurant," said Rose Avenue resident Fred Glaser. "It's an attractive nuisance and a beacon in the night for domestic problems. I can't see it attracting many families after 12 p.m."
As a volunteer firefighter, Glaser said he sees the McDonald's parking lot filled with cars and people talking on payphones in the wee hours of the morning when he leaves his house for a fire run duty.
"Most normal people are home," he said. "I'm sure they're selling something. I have a problem with that because that's not what Baldwin is all about."
First Precinct Inspector Richard Kennedy said that he received a letter from Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino's office, asking that the precinct increase its police patrol around the McDonald's area late at night.
"We did get a letter from Santino's office and we made cops aware of the fact," Kennedy said. "We do have intensive patrol up there."
Kennedy said he wasn't aware of any significant problems at McDonald's and that no one had called the precinct to complain about the late hours.
"No one has called us on it, but they're welcome to," he said. "Let's face it, anytime something is open at all hours of the night, it's going to attract some trouble. But we're aware of that, and we are patrolling the area as best we can."
Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) said that he has received several calls and letters from residents who are unhappy with McDonald's 'round-the-clock hours.
"Without a doubt, we've got some extra people down there. We're on top of that," Scannell said. "I don't support the 24 hours and we're going to try to fight with the Town of Hempstead to maybe get that pulled back a little bit."
Glaser is not the only neighbor who is worried about McDonald's late-night crowds.
Jill Rush of Grand Terrace Avenue said that she sees McDonald's litter strewn down Grand Avenue and at the end of the street, and that McDonald's attracts nothing but "after-bar crowds."
Baldwin resident Frank Gillespie said that people live in Baldwin to escape the city, and that 24-hour operations are remind him of being in Queens or Brooklyn.
"The bottom line is this. If we wanted this to be the city, then lower our taxes," he said. "We pay twice the amount of taxes to live here so we don't live in a city atmosphere. This is a residential area. McDonald's, 7-11 and Pathmark shouldn't be open 24 hours a day."
One Rose Avenue resident who declined to give his name said he wakes up to blaring car stereos in the middle of the night as people wait in McDonald's drive-through line.
Employees at the local restaurant were not allowed to speak to the press, but McDonald's corporate spokesperson Elena Ramos said 24-hour locations were chosen based on nearby area businesses and types of consumers.
"We have different hours at different locations, it all depends on what we think the consumers around the area want," she said. "In this location, we saw consumers out and about at later hours and to my understanding, a few other businesses in the area are 24 hours as well. We are not doing this to attract troublemakers, but to make it convenient for the consumer who wants a late night meal. In this area, that type of consumer seemed to be present."
While some people think all-night businesses are a nuisance to the community, some think they are an asset.
Baldwin resident Sid Palton said that when he gets home from a late shift at work, he appreciates being able to grab a quick bite to eat, or pick up something from the 7-11.
A 7-11 employee, who would not give his name, said that serving every type of consumer is what 24-hour businesses are all about.
"It's not called a 'convenience store' for nothing," he said.
