A string of recent incidents at the McDonald’s restaurant along Business Loop 70 caused restaurant management to temporarily reconsider how it serves Hickman High School students.

Students were told yesterday they could only get lunch at McDonald’s if they used the drive-through lane, Columbia Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Lynn Barnett said. Management at the shop, 205 Business Loop 70 E., has since backed off that recommendation, saying they would instead put a manager or employee at the door "to advise students that they need to behave appropriately," she said.

Hickman has two open-campus lunch periods, when students often walk across Providence Road and the Business Loop to visit nearby fast-food restaurants.

McDonald’s referred questions to its communication firm, VisionWorks. A spokeswoman, Lili Vianello, estimates 100 Hickman students visit the nearby McDonald’s daily, though many are not customers.

"Over the past several days, there have been several incidents, including a broken restaurant window, aggressive and dangerous driving, and a fight on the parking lot," Vianello said in an e-mail to the Tribune. "We have had patrons walk out and complain about inappropriate language."

After a vandalism incident Tuesday, McDonald’s staff complained to school administrators, saying the restaurant would no longer serve walk-in students, Barnett said.

When district Safety Director Preston Bass asked restaurant managers how long the policy would be in effect, they rescinded the rule.

But restaurant employees are keeping an eye on the situation. "We are working closely with Hickman school officials to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for all of our customers," Vianello said. "While we reserve the right to refuse service to any individual, we are happy to serve anyone who behaves appropriately and in a courteous and respectful manner."

Other local restaurants said they experience occasional issues with teens at lunch, but nothing serious enough to consider not serving them.

"For the most part, they’re decent kids," said Hartley Rogers, owner of Dairy Queen at 700 Business 70 E. "Of course, there are some troublemakers, but a lot of them don’t even go to Hickman.

The Taco Bell eatery at 411 S. Providence also sees an occasional problem, franchisee Cameron Dunafon said,

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