McDonalds has announced that it will be opening 11 of its stores at selected Roadchef service stations as part of a trial to see if it can jump-start its business following months of lockdown.
These branches will re-open on June 17, with plans to gradually roll out to high streets, cities and town centres across the UK and Ireland from June 24.
Confirming the news, McDonald’s UK & Ireland CEO Paul Pomroy said: “Over the last four weeks, we have carefully reopened over 1,000 restaurants for Drive-thru or McDelivery, only progressing to new channels and more restaurants when we were confident that we could provide a safe working environment for our people.
“Following a closed test in London last month, I am pleased to confirm that we will begin reopening for takeaway and click and collect.
“Starting on Wednesday 17 June, in 11 Roadchef service station locations, we will welcome motorway users back inside our restaurants for the first time since March. We’re taking our time to get this right, reviewing our processes before we gradually roll-out to high streets, towns and city centres from 24 June onwards.”
As part of the move, the fast-food chain has that a series of safety measures are being implemented to keep customers safe, with a limit on the number of customers allowed in at one time, one-way systems, no seating and toilets will remain closed.
Also, the burger giant outlined further steps that are being taken:
- When you visit us for takeaway, we will welcome you inside when a space becomes available, and we’ll ask you to sanitise your hands at the cleaning stations we are introducing in all restaurants;
- We will have fewer self-order screens switched on and will sanitise those in use at least every 30 minutes. You can also order via the My McDonald’s app;
- If you can visit alone to collect your food, please do so, however we know this isn’t always possible – children are of course still welcome, but for now we’ll be putting away our crayons and colouring sheets and keeping the play areas and digital play areas closed;
- As our dining areas will not be open, our recycling points will also remain closed but most of our packaging can be recycled so please do dispose of it responsibly and recycle wherever possible when you get home;
- To help protect our employees and other customers, we ask you not to visit if you feel unwell.