McDonald's has announced nearly 1,000 more restaurants will reopen for drive-thrus or deliveries from next week, under a new lockdown ...
McDonald's has announced nearly 1,000 more restaurants will reopen for drive-thrus or deliveries from next week, under a new lockdown friendly measures with a £25 cap on orders.
Each franchise has been asked to make sure its staff are fit and able to work, following nearly two months of lockdown measures.
From next Tuesday McDonald's will begin announcing the restaurants that have reopened. By Thursday, 975 franchises will have reopened.
Cleaning stations will be set up inside McDonald's restaurants for visiting delivery drivers, who will have no contact with restaurant staff when they arrive to pick up orders
Footage shows how restaurants are reopening with protective screens between staff and customers. Workers are also expected to wash their hands every 30 minutes.
Protective screens have been put in place inside the kitchens and at drive-thrus to lower the risk of contamination.
For customers, the major changes are a reduced menu and a £25 spending cap, which has been introduced as staff get used to working in smaller teams and to reduce waiting times at drive-thru lanes. Diners are also being asked to pay via contactless cards.
A McDonald's spokesman said: 'We can today announce that by 4th June, 1019 of our restaurants will have reopened, either for Drive Thru or McDelivery.
'This means every Drive Thru in the UK and Ireland will reopen between Tuesday and Thursday next week and we will start to expand the availability of McDelivery too.
Customers are being asked to pay with contactless cards when using McDonald's drive-thrus, while cleaning of payment equipment will be stepped up
Perspex screens between drive-thru workers and customers have been installed to further reduce the risk of spreading the virus
'This is only possible following the hard work of the teams in our 44 pilot restaurants.
'Over the last fortnight, our employees, franchisees and suppliers have worked tirelessly to implement new procedures to enable safe working so that we can now help all parts of the UK and Ireland to enjoy the return of the Big Mac.
'With fewer employees working in our kitchens and service areas, our teams will still need your patience and support as they continue to adjust to the new ways of working.
McDonald's staff will regularly disinfect surfaces at their stores to reduce the risk of customers and employees transmitting coronavirus between each other
Staff will wear face masks under the plans to reopen McDonald's stores across Britain which will look very different as Britain begins to exit the coronavirus lockdown
Workers will wear protective gear including gloves in their stores as they prepare food for contact-free delivery, and hand over bags to delivery drivers to take to customers
'Face coverings, gloves, Perspex screens and new safety and hygiene processes mean it will look different, it will take a little longer and as we have seen in the pilot restaurants, we expect demand will be high.
'Please bear with us, we will continue to put our people first – their safety is our priority.'
Drive-thrus reopening as lockdown measures ease has caused long queues as fast-food fans look to get their first fix of McDonald's since restaurants were shut.
In some cases McDonald's has had to shut drive-thru lanes, while there have also been complaints of delivery driver safety after they were seen queuing out the door in London to pick up orders.
With more than 900 more drive-thru lanes reopening by next Thursday, the fast food giant says it is working to keep customers levels down.
Staff are being kept apart where possible, with additional screens being installed inside kitchens and at drive-thru windows
Kitchens have been refitted with perspex glass, while staff are wearing additional PPE inside the fast food restaurants. There will also be zero contact between delivery drivers and kitchen staff, McDonald's has announced
Staff at each restaurant are having their temperatures regularly checked to ensure they are fit to work and are not potentially spreading the virus
With more than 900 more drive-thru lanes reopening by next Thursday, the fast food giant says it is working to keep customers levels down.
It is only announcing which stores have reopened on the day it happens.
A McDonald's spokesman said: 'In the last week, on occasion, we have taken the decision to close Drive Thru lanes where demand has impacted local communities or the safety of our people or customers.
'We will continue to work with local authorities and the police as we extend our reopening plans.
'With smaller teams, we will still be offering a limited menu over reduced hours, and we ask that you make contactless payments and limit your spend to £25.
'We are continuing to review these measures as we reopen, but for now, these restrictions remain in place to help our employees, customers and delivery partner couriers to remain safe.
'To manage the anticipated demand, we will release the locations of the reopening restaurants on the morning of each day.'
Staggering footage showed vehicles snaking up and down roads waiting to access the restaurants, with many people having to wait over two hours to get their food.
Videos soon emerged on social media, after members of the public filmed the queues in utter disbelief, including one showing a seemingly endless stretch of traffic waiting to access the McDonalds A41 Watford restaurant.
Aghast, the individual filming the video could be hear saying: 'How badly do they want a big mac. That's a two hour wait for some nuggets.'
News of McDonald's return comes as Halfords announced it will fully reopen 53 UK stores by Friday with customers allowed back inside to browse shelves.
The car parts retailer will deploy marshals to guide people throughout the shops and use 'sneeze screens' to keep people safe.
Bosses expect a surge in customers wanting to get behind the wheel of cars that have been unused for several weeks.
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