McDonald’s restaurants have been closed in Ireland since the end of March.
McDonald’s has confirmed that six of its restaurants in the Dublin area will open for drive-thru only as part of a phased reopening in Ireland from next week.
McDonald’s has confirmed that the six restaurants will begin what has been described as “a cautious reopening in Ireland” from next Wednesday (20 May), but will not be revealing the locations of the restaurants until next week.
The restaurants will be open for drive-thru only and will follow a series of safety and wellbeing measures introduced by McDonald’s, including a cap in spending of €30 per car and reduced staff serving a reduced menu over reduced hours.
Following government guidance, McDonald’s plans to reopen all of its restaurants for drive-thru across Ireland and the UK from early June.
The restaurant chain warned that service is likely to be slower than usual as staff adapt to new safety and wellbeing measures (see below) and that queues should be expected at some of its busier outlets.
- Fewer people in the kitchen and service areas, serving a reduced menu over reduced hours
- The use of contactless thermometers, with temperatures checked on arrival at work
- Perspex screens in key locations in the kitchen and service areas
- Protective equipment for staff, including gloves for customer and courier-facing positions and face masks, but not the type needed by healthcare professionals
- Additional training on cleanliness practices, including increased frequency of hand-washing and extra sanitising of touch points around the restaurant
McDonald’s decision to reopen on a phased basis in Ireland has the support of Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, who said: “McDonald’s is a valued key purchaser of Irish produce and an employer of a large number of people throughout Ireland.
“I therefore welcome today’s announcement that McDonald’s restaurants will begin a cautious reopening in Ireland from 20 May with a small number of restaurants opening as drive-thru only at first.
“The last couple of months have been undoubtedly tough, both economically and socially, but the recent announcement from Government on the phased reopening of the country offers reassurance and hope for brighter days ahead.”
In a statement, McDonald’s Chief Executive Paul Pomroy said: “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. 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.
“As we get accustomed to the new processes and procedures, we will look to reopen more restaurants, for longer hours and reintroduce more menu items. But only when I am confident we can do so whilst maintaining the new procedures we have introduced for the protection of our people.
“Learning from our initial phases, these tests, we will start to return to towns and cities across the UK and Ireland and thank you for your continued support as we work through this crisis. We will continue to keep you updated via email, our website and our social media channels.”
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