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
Footage shows how restaurants are reopening with protective screens between staff and customers. Workers are also expected to wash their hands every 30 minutes.
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
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.
‘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.
Staff are being kept apart where possible, with additional screens being installed inside kitchens
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
‘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.’
Customers and staff will be able to clean their hands with sanitiser dispensers that will aim to ensure the cleanliness of their fast food restaurants
McDonald’s has reopened after lockdown, but with a reduced menu and a £25 spending cap
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.