McDonalds, the US-based fast food restaurant operator, has confirmed plans to open a new outlet at the Louvre in Paris, France, by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for the company said the outlet would not be situated at the museum itself, but in the US-themed part of a Food Court area within the underground Carrousel du Louvre shopping centre. The McDonalds will be one of a number of restaurants in the US part of the Food Court, which aims to offer a wide range of global cuisine close to the Louvre Museum and Gallery.

A spokesperson for the museum told the Daily Telegraph: "The Louvre welcomes the fact that the entirety of visitors and customers, French or foreign, can enjoy such a rich and varied restaurant offer, whether in the museum or gallery." However, the proposals have encountered opposition, with the Louvre Pour Tous website - set up to "inform and defend the visitors of the museum" - claiming that museum president Henri Loyrette had chosen not to stop "the scent of French fries wafting past the Mona Lisa's nose".