Paul Pomroy, CEO McDonald’s UK & Ireland, has made the following statement in the wake of the second national lockdown news.
Pomroy (pictured) said, 'Following the latest announcements from the Prime Minister, I wanted to share an update on our plans to continue serving your McDonald’s favourites safely.
'At 00:01am on Thursday we will close our dining areas across England but, in line with Government guidance, we will remain open for takeaway, Drive Thru and McDelivery via Uber Eats and Just Eat.
'Following the first lockdown, together with our franchisees, we made significant changes to our restaurant operations and kitchens to enhance our health and safety procedures to help keep you our customers and our employees safe.
These measures include:
• Fewer people working on each shift, and introducing new measures including additional screens in our kitchens and service areas to provide a safer environment to help you and our teams adhere to social distancing
• Serving a reduced menu with some restaurants running reduced hours
• Hand washing at least every 30 minutes and providing sanitiser for our teams, delivery partners and customers
• Asking customers to respect social distancing guidelines and to wear face coverings when entering the restaurant, using floor markings in our restaurants for takeaway, and signposting routes for customers and delivery partners
• Cleaning surfaces and equipment, including self-order screens and card readers, even more regularly
• Providing our teams with additional protective equipment including face coverings, and using contactless thermometers to check their temperature
'The safety of you and our employees is an absolute priority to us. I am incredibly proud of how our restaurant teams have continued to adapt to the new ways of working and I am also grateful for your understanding as we have all got to grips with a new normal. Once again, as we all adjust, I would ask you to be patient with our teams.
'We remain committed to enabling our people to come to work safely whilst we continue to serve the communities in which we operate. In some restaurants, our operating hours and services may vary. As always, we will keep you updated via the My McDonald’s App and our website.
'COVID-19 continues to affect many thousands of people, and I know these latest restrictions will impact many people in different ways. I hope you and your loved ones stay safe and well.'