Only McDonald's Can Serve French Fries at the Olympics

The World's Largest McDonald's is beginning to assert its hegemony over lesser Olympic restaurants: the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has announced that other, non-McDonald's restaurants within the Olympic Park are not allowed to serve french fries. A memo was sent out that read, "Due to sponsorship obligations with McDonalds, LOCOG have instructed the catering team they are no longer allowed to serve chips on their own anywhere within the Olympic park." There is one exception to the rule: the restaurants may serve chips so long as they are served with fish.

But there have been complaints from the staff, and apparently restaurants that cater to Olympic Park workers were receiving too much "grief" about not having any french fries. LOCOG has made an exception for staff cafeterias, but added "Please do not give the staff grief, this will only lead to us removing fish and chips completely." Got it? No more grief or you lose your fish and chips.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports the media center merely has "hash browns and dauphinoise, but no chips." Sorry journalists, guess you'll have to make do with dauphinoise.

· McDonald's Force Olympics to Ban Other Restaurants From Selling Chips [Daily Mail]
· Chip-Hungry Olympic Workers Celebrate Freedom From McDonald's Monopoly [Guardian]