McDonald's 'made married couple sit apart' in Pakistan restaurant In an account posted on his blog, Mr Ansari said he was told: "Sir, this is a family restaurant. Couples sitting together is against the policy of McDonald's Pakistan, as it goes against the family atmosphere of the restaurant. Two managers then told him that couples sitting together damaged the "Islamic family atmosphere" of McDonald's, according to the account. The alleged incident highlighted a difficult issue for Pakistan's restaurants, particularly fast food chains where loud music and glitzy American decor try to coexist with the country's strict rules on modesty. Many - including some branches of McDonald's - have partitioned areas for families, to separate men from women. Ali Arsalan, McDonald's Pakistan assistant marketing manager, said the company tried to foster a family atmosphere and confirmed it was looking into Mr Noman's grievance. "If there is some physical action it is possible that a family might have raised a complaint and asked the couple to have sit on a separate seat because we have sisters or mothers there," he said. Multinational fast food companies frequently struggle with local religious and cultural sensibilities. Last month, Pizza Hut Pakistan was forced to withdraw its "all you can eat" offer during Ramadan in order to end what it called an "invitation to gluttony" as customers gorged themselves at the end of a day of fasting. And in India, McDonald's is planning to open its first vegetarian branches close to two holy sites, leading to threatened protests by Hindus and Sikhs.