Burgers, fries and parking tickets: How people are getting huge fines at a D.C. Wendy's

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — Grabbing lunch in the District can be expensive, but how would you feel about forking over an extra $250 at Wendy's?

It happened to Daniel McAskill, of Frederick, Maryland, when he went inside and ordered off the menu at a Wendy's located in the 3900 block of Georgia Avenue, NW, in D.C.

"I got two junior bacon cheeseburgers, a medium fry that was $6 and then I got this $250 ticket on top of that," said McAskill.

7 On Your Side had our cameras rolling and watched as a Metropolitan Police Department officer wrote several $250 parking tickets over a series of days.

"In the two hours that I was there, I saw him write 10 tickets and that's $2,500 in two hours," said McAskill.

In the lot, signs read: "Parking for Wendy's guests only. Unauthorized vehicles will be towed."

Well, McAskill told 7 On Your Side that he never left Wendy's, but on the ticket he received, it read: "Wendy's Lot Private."

"I just went thru the roof," said McAskill.

In D.C., police officers can write parking tickets while off duty, but a parking ticket must be written before a car is towed.

7 On Your Side I-Team Investigator Scott Taylor approached the MPD officer on duty and said, “Excuse me, officer. I'm Scott Taylor with ABC7 News. Can you tell me what in the world you are doing?"

"You can talk to the manager," responded the officer.

"Why are you out here writing tickets? Are you moonlighting or working for the police department?" asked Taylor.

"Working for the police department," said the officer.

Wendy's would not talk on camera. Instead, 7 On Your Side received the following email:

"This restaurant is owned and operated by Wendy’s franchise organization, NPC International. An off-duty police officer monitors this parking lot for us. This is a highly trafficked area and we want to ensure that the parking spaces dedicated to this restaurant are available for Wendy’s customers when they are dining at this restaurant. Metro police would be best suited to answer your question about their fine assessment structure. The officer works for the Metropolitan Police Department and local restaurant leadership hired the officer to monitor the parking lot. This is the only Wendy’s location in the area where NPC has the parking lot patrolled due to the limited amount of parking spaces. Those who have questions about their tickets should contact the MPD at (202) 727-9099.

We are not able to schedule an on-camera interview at this time."

Our cameras saw multiple drivers arguing with the officer over the $250 tickets. One woman went off for at least 30 minutes as the officer listened from inside his car.

In an FOIA request, ABC7 discovered parking tickets written over the past three years at this Wendy's have skyrocketed.

In 2015, only 79 tickets were written. That number grew to 980 the following year and in 2017, 1,246 tickets were tacked on car's throughout the lot.

All total, the District has issued a whopping $203,646 worth of parking tickets at this Wendy's location in the past three years.

Compare that number to the other two Wendy's located in the District, where only nine tickets between them were written last year alone.

We watched many drivers get a ticket after they walked off Wendy's property, but we believe that at least one additional ticketed driver just like Daniel McAskill never left.

7 On Your Side also caught the officer coming inside, yelling out the model and color of a vehicle he had just ticketed.

"Blue Pathfinder. Blue Pathfinder," said the officer.

But what if customers don't speak up because they're deaf, don't speak English, are using earbuds or in the restroom?

"If you are working for the police department who do I need to talk to... can I come in. I don't know why you are blocking me," said Taylor.

"I'm not," said the officer.

"You know you wrote a $250 ticket to a man who was only eating lunch. Did you know that?" asked Taylor.

"You can speak to the manager," said the officer.

"I would like to talk to you. You're the one writing the tickets," said Taylor.

McAskill said a Wendy's district manager was the only one willing to listen. The manager looked at surveillance video that showed McAskill never left Wendy's that day.

The district manager texted McAskill saying: "I can assure you the ticket will not be processed."

D.C. Police told the I-Team a Wendy's district manager doesn't have the ability to make parking tickets disappear.

Meanwhile, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles said it has no record of Daniel McAskill's ticket.

Police Chief Peter Newsham also refused to answer any questions on camera.

We did see the officer appear to take back some tickets after customers confronted him. We checked and last year 650 tickets written in the parking lot were dismissed.

7 On Your Side attempted to talk to a manager inside Wendy’s like the officer suggested.

"We would like to talk to somebody about why you have a D.C. police officer writing tickets over and over again out in your parking lot? Is that how to handle customers the right way?" asked Taylor to a Wendy's manager.

"We're done," said the officer as the manager closed the door.

Currently, an MPD officer is still employed at Wendy’s to supervise its parking lot.

Wendy's and the MPD have no issues with it and it’s not illegal.

7 On Your Side wants to make sure you are aware of what’s going on at the lot so your next lunch doesn't cost you $250 and change.