McDonalds has reopened 30 of its restaurants today, allowing customers to purchase food through its drive-thru restaurants as the fast-foo...
McDonalds has reopened 30 of its restaurants today, allowing customers to purchase food through its drive-thru restaurants as the fast-food giants set about their re-opening strategy.
The restaurant chain opened a number of its branches from 11am on Wednesday, in conjunction with the Government's strict guidance on social distancing rules.
The move follows from last week, where 15 of its restaurants in the South East of England were reopened through food couriers Deliveroo, with the fast food outlet offering a limited menu and putting a spending cap at £25 per order.
McDonald's have reopened 30 of its restaurants today amid coronavirus restrictions easing
Lots of vehicles queued up to get a taste of McDonald's after some stores reopened today
'We will have a £25 order cap as we adjust to smaller teams and social distancing in our kitchens. I want to reiterate the restaurants, Drive Thrus and their car parks remain closed, we will only be serving food via Uber Eats this week,' a statement said.
And today, an additional 30 restaurants have reopened across the UK and Ireland, with a drive-thru service offered only.
A statement said: 'Moving in step with government guidelines, we plan to reopen all our Drive-Thrus by early June. We will keep the restaurant locator on our website updated as our Drive Thrus reopen over the coming weeks.'
The fast-food giants have moved to ensure a number of health and safety measures are in place for staff working in the restaurants.
Customers look happy as they pick up their food after McDonald's temporary closure
A woman waves her order in the air as Brits queued up to grab a bite to eat on Wednesday
An additional 30 stores have reopened today following the opening of 15 last week
Upon arrival at work, all staff will have their temperatures monitored, while perspex screens will be fitted in kitchens and other key locations.
Police were called to a drive-thru McDonald's in Cambridgeshire today after dozens of customers turned up when it re-opened.
Officers attended the Boongate store in Peterborough after it opened to customers at 11am, with new measures in place to keep customers and employees safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dozens of cars were seen queuing around the car park as customers rushed to get their hands on burgers, fries and milkshakes.
Police were called to a McDonald's restaurant in Boongate at lunchtime on Wednesday
McDonald's have introduced strict measures to protect customer and worker's health
A sign asks customers to wait responsibly as a number of stores reopened on Wednesday
A statement from McDonald's said today: 'With restaurant teams adjusting to new procedures to enable safe working and social distancing, things may take a little longer - and high demand is anticipated.
'McDonald's and its franchisees are working closely with local authorities and the police, and may determine that it is necessary to close Drive Thru lanes if queues cause disruption at busier sites or put employees or customers at risk.'
Last week, McDonald's workers had to contend with swathes of people trying to order food as 15 of its branches reopened.
Cars queue up at a McDonald's branch in Sutton as it reopened to customers today
The fast-food giant has said that strict health and safety measures will be put in place now
Restaurants were swamped with UberEats and Deliveroo workers - but it became so busy at one south London branch that two-metre social distancing went out of the window.
One UberEats worker was one of 25 delivery drivers working out of the fast food chain's Tooting branch last week, claiming the situation became 'dangerous'.
He said: 'They allowed 43 orders to come in at 11am and they were only allowing five drivers to come in at a time. The drivers were all bunched outside, it was chaotic, a danger for everyone involved. They hadn't even got security there, it was a joke.'
The company's statement added: 'When your local Drive Thru does reopen, it will be different. Our service will not be as quick as you might be used to, as we adjust to smaller teams and social distancing in our kitchens.
There were problems at the Tooting McDonald's last week as delivery drivers said they were unable to maintain social distancing as the store re-opened
'We expect there will be some queues for some of our busier sites and our restaurants will look different, with Perspex screens at our Drive Thru windows and employees wearing protective equipment.
'I ask that you continue to be supportive of and patient with our restaurant teams as we slowly and safely return. We are asking all of our employees to adapt to how our restaurants now work, and will only reopen at a pace that enables them to work safely.
'As we get accustomed to the new processes and procedures, we will look to reopen more restaurants, for longer hours and reintroduce more menu items. But only when I am confident we can do so whilst maintaining the new procedures we have introduced for the protection of our people.'
The McDonald's menu will still be limited, while the £25 spending cap will remain in place. Breakfasts, wraps and milkshakes are still unavailable.
The restaurant's nine signature burgers are still on the menu, as well as the McChicken sandwich and the Big Mac. Limited options will be available for vegetarians.
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