If you’re out with a baby and you need a changing table fast, McDonald’s is often the first place you think of. They’re everywhere, they’re usually open, and you don’t have to buy anything to use the toilets. So do they actually have baby changing facilities?
Yes, the vast majority of UK McDonald’s restaurants do have baby changing tables. They’re usually in the family toilet or the accessible toilet, sometimes in both.
What it’s actually like
The quality varies a bit depending on the restaurant. Newer, recently refurbished locations tend to have cleaner, better-equipped facilities, and some have dedicated family rooms with a bit more space. Older sites can be more cramped, but you’ll almost always find a fold-down changing table somewhere.
Most have nappy bins nearby. A few have wipes or paper roll available, but it’s worth bringing your own just in case.
Drive-throughs are less reliable
This is the main caveat. Drive-through only locations, the ones without a sit-in dining area, often don’t have the same facilities. If you’re stopping at a service station McDonald’s, it depends more on the service station itself than the McDonald’s.
For town centre and retail park locations with a full dining room, you can generally count on finding a changing table.
What if the changing room is locked or out of order?
It happens. Just ask at the counter and someone will either unlock it or point you to the accessible toilet which usually has a table too. The staff are pretty used to it and it’s never been a problem in my experience.
A quicker way to check before you go
Rather than guessing, you can check Clover before you leave the house. It shows baby changing locations near you, including restaurants and cafes, so you can see what’s actually available in the area you’re heading to.
It’s especially handy if you’re going somewhere unfamiliar and want to have a backup plan, or if you just want to know the nearest changing facility to where you’re going to be.