Powell Farmer Says McDonald’s Apologized, Will Now Allow Horses in Drive-Thru

Last week, Powell farmer Allen Hatch was told he and his two draft horses, Coal and Onyx, weren’t welcome in the McDonald’s drive-thru. After the story went international, the franchise reversed course.

Hatch said he received a “personal, private apology” from a representative of Yellowstone McDonald’s, which owns 16 franchises in Wyoming and Montana. The ban has been rescinded. He was offered one free meal for his family and told the company is retraining employees to allow “any legal form of transportation” through drive-thrus.

“The community support, across the state, has been staggering,” Hatch told Cowboy State Daily.

The controversy began when Hatch took his Percheron draft horses through the Powell McDonald’s drive-thru. He’d already received his order when the manager told him livestock weren’t permitted due to liability concerns—specifically, “what happens if they shit in my drive-thru, since there’s no one to clean it up.”

Hatch didn’t argue. He took his order and left.

After the story spread, Hatch spoke with Yellowstone McDonald’s marketing lead Casey Taggart, who insisted Hatch himself wasn’t banned—only the horses. Hatch disagreed: “The three of us were told that we would never do this again. That was the genesis of my use of the word ‘banned.'”

Taggart said the decision came from the local manager, not company policy. But Hatch also heard from another McDonald’s manager that a new area supervisor from out of state had directed the Powell manager in real time.

Regardless, the company now says all legal transportation is welcome. Hatch asked if the policy change would be in writing; Taggart wouldn’t commit.

Hatch wasn’t trying to make waves. He was simply training Coal and Onyx—horses from a different culture that take commands primarily in Swedish—to acclimate to Wyoming roads. His wagon is road-legal with proper signage.

Since the story broke, multiple Wyoming businesses have reached out to say Hatch and his horses are welcome: K-Saloon, Legends Pizza, Millstone Brewery, Body and Paint in Powell, Tractor Supply in Cody, and the Dairyland in Thermopolis, which is planning a teamster drive-thru event.

For the record, Hatch clarified: Coal and Onyx are Percheron draft horses, not mules or Clydesdales. And they are no longer 86ed from the McDonald’s drive-thru.