Coronavirus: McDonald's to reopen all drive-throughs and expand delivery

McDonald's is set to reopen all of its drive-through locations and expand its delivery service from next week.

The fast-food chain reopened 33 of its drive-through sites last week, but some of them had to be closed again after it admitted the huge queues had impacted local communities or the safety of our people or customers.

McDonald's originally shut down all of its branches in March when the coronavirus lockdown came into force, despite the firm being classed as an essential business.

But the company has now announced that all of its drive-through branches in the UK and Ireland will finally start reopening next Tuesday, 2 June, with all of them being ready for customers by Thursday, 4 June.

To help manage demand, McDonald's will only reveal the locations of branches that are resuming business on the morning of the store opening its doors, so as not to overwhelm services.

The company is also working with police and local authorities regarding the plans, which include 75 branches being reopened for delivery only.

Staff at every branch will wear face coverings and be protected at the counter by perspex screens - and there will be social distancing measures in place.

There will also be a temporary menu, limited to just a few items while the branches get going again.

Customers will not be able to spend any more than £25.

This is only possible following the hard work of the teams in our 44 pilot restaurants, said a spokesman.

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.

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McDonald's fans eager to get their hands on a Big Mac had criticised the company on social media when it revealed the initial stores that reopened last week were all in the South East.

McDonald's responded by saying those places that had opened were close to its distribution centres.

Other fast-food chains have also started reopening their branches across the UK, including KFC, Burger King and Subway, as businesses attempt to adjust to the new coronavirus restrictions.

Next week from Monday to Thursday, Dermot Murnaghan will be hosting After the Pandemic: Our New World - a series of special live programmes about what our world will be like once the pandemic is over.

We'll be joined by some of the biggest names from the worlds of culture, politics, economics, science and technology. And you can take part too.

If you'd like to be in our virtual audience - from your own home - and put questions to the experts, email afterthepandemic@sky.uk

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(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: McDonald's to reopen all drive-throughs and expand delivery