McDonald's confirms date it will reopen 975 branches in the UK

This will take the total number of McDonald's restaurants back open to 1,019

McDonald's confirms date it will reopen another 975 branches in the UK

McDonald’s is set to reopen hundreds more stores next week as high streets regain a sense of normality after two months on lockdown.

The fast food chain has confirmed that 975 more branches will reopen to the public soon, providing customers can keep in line with social distancing and safety guidelines.

This will include 924 drive-thrus and 75 restaurants that offer McDelivery via UberEats or Just Eat, reports the Mirror .

In a statement today, McDonald's said the restaurants will reopen between June 2 and June 4 - including hundreds of branches in major cities in the North of England.

This will take the total to 1,019.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We can today announce that by June 4, 1,020 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.

"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.

"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."

To manage anticipated demand, McDonald's said it will be releasing the locations of the reopening restaurants on the morning of each day.

Restaurants will start reopening on June 4 from 11am, in line with government guidelines and with strict social distancing measures in place.

One order will be allowed per car and purchases will be capped at £25.

In car parks, dividers will be in place, while security teams will patrol zones to ensure visitors comply with safety laws.

In stores, perspex screens have been fitted while all employees will have to carry out temperature checks on arrival.

There will also be a limited menu, with breakfast scrapped for the foreseeable future due to limited staff members.

McDonald's chief executive, Paul Pomroy previously warned that stores "will be different" when they re-emerge from lockdown.

"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," he said.

"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."

What will be on the limited menu?

Main Menu:

Cheeseburger

Hamburger

Double Cheeseburger

Big Mac

Quarter Pounder with Cheese

McChicken Sandwich

Filet-O-Fish

Chicken McNuggets

Chicken Selects

Sides & Desserts:

Fries

Mozzarella Dippers

Core McFlurry (Oreo, Maltesers, Smarties)

Fruit Bag

Drinks:

Coke

Diet Coke

Coke Zero

Fanta

Sprite

Oasis

Black Coffee

White Coffee

Latte

Cappuccino

Espresso

Flat White

Tea

Orange Juice

Fruit Shoot

Water

Happy Meal Water

Happy Meal Variants:

Happy Meal - Hamburger

Happy Meal - Cheeseburger

Happy Meal - 4 Nuggets