McDonald’s has announced that it is testing the possible reopening of a branch in the UK, just over a month after it said it would be closing all of its sites in the UK and Ireland.
The moves come after other fast-food chains, such as Burger King, KFC and Pret A Manger began reopening for delivery and takeaway over the past couple of weeks.
In a statement, McDonald’s UK and Ireland CEO, Paul Pomroy, said: “Recently, we began working through a potential and limited reopening. We have been listening to our employees and customers as well as engaging with Government and trade bodies to help ensure we do this responsibly, when the time is right.
“For now, we remain closed, and will only reopen when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone’s wellbeing.”
“Restarting our business is not an easy task even when reopening in a limited capacity. We have set ourselves some key criteria for reopening, all of which take time – first and foremost ensuring the wellbeing of our people and creating the right environment for them to return to work; secondly ensuring we have enough supply of fresh produce; and finally working in-step with government guidelines to ensure the safety of our customers.”
Despite the tests, McDonald’s has not put a date on when sites across the country would be open again.
Pomroy added: “This week we are carrying out some operational tests to explore what our reopening might look like; the restaurant where these tests take place will remain closed to the public. These tests will include exploring social distancing measures for our crew, PPE options and opening in a limited capacity.
“For now, we remain closed, and will only reopen when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone’s wellbeing.”
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
