Some McDonald’s will now sell Krispy Kreme donuts, and a fast-food joint in a South By Southwest festival venue in Austin will now sell KFC.
The fast-food outlets, some of which will be opened in the coming weeks, will have to abide by a new “McDonald’s Code of Conduct,” which the fast-food chain says “affirms the core values of the company from an employee perspective.”
In a statement provided to USA TODAY, McDonald’s said it’s “committed to respecting the individual, family and local communities that are the driving force of our success and contribution to society.”
McDonald’s said the company “will work with all stakeholders to provide safe and welcoming employment experiences for all our associates.”
McDonald’s said in October it is increasing its focus on recruiting veterans and veterans-owned businesses to supply the staff that will work at its new stores. The company has more than 1,000 American veterans holding jobs, according to government data.
The new code of conduct, which McDonald’s said it is currently reviewing, calls for employees to be respectful of people of other races, religions, and ethnicities, and it calls on the company to “ensure the comfort of all of our associates.”
The new rules will be enforced by human resources managers and are expected to begin appearing on company websites in coming weeks, according to a McDonald’s statement.
“We will continue to provide safe, reliable and clean environment for our associates who are the heart of our brand,” the company statement said, adding “we will not compromise on quality, value or service or our commitment to our veterans.”
McDonald’s is facing scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Labor and several other agencies after a federal court in Ohio last month found that the company’s former former franchisees who accused the company of failing to pay them was not in fact employees.
The company is also facing a class-action lawsuit that claims the former franchisees “suffered damage to their reputations, lost earnings, and incurred increased expenses” trying to file complaints with the Labor Department.
McDonald’s has vowed to respond to the complaint.
“The allegations in this particular lawsuit are without merit,” the company said in its statement to USA TODAY.
The company said it has “no evidence of the claims