The future of McDonald’s – all the changes customers can expect as it opens 975 branches next week
MCDONALD’S plans to reopen 975 more branches for drive-thru and delivery from June 2 - but there are some changes Maccies fans need to be aware of.
Hungry diners who’ve been missing their fix of Big Macs and fries were delighted when McDonald’s finally announced 15 stores would start taking orders again on May 13.
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Since then, it has steadily opened more restaurants.
In total, McDonald's has so far reopened 44 branches, of which five are delivery only, 29 drive-thru only and 10 available as both.
But between June 2 and June 4, McDonald's will reopen 51 more branches for delivery only and 924 for drive-thru only.
That means that 1,019 of its 1,428 restaurants in the UK and Ireland will have reopened, including all drive-thrus.
But things will look different.
Here's everything you need to know.
Reduced menu in place
McDonald's has confirmed it will still be operating with a reduced menu for now.
The limited options include fan favourites, such as Happy Meals, Big Macs and McNuggets.
But the bad news is, there will be no breakfast items - this is down to the new opening times, which you can read more about below.
The limited menu is necessary for staff safety, as the reopened restaurants will have fewer staff working at one time.
What items are included on the reduced McDonald's menu?
MCDONALD'S has confirmed it'll be running a reduced menu when restaurants reopen on May 13.
This is because the chain will have less staff working at one time so they can maintain social distancing measures.
Here's what's being sold:
Main Menu:
- Cheeseburger
- Hamburger
- Double Cheeseburger
- Big Mac
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese
- McChicken Sandwich
- Filet-O-Fish
- Chicken McNuggets
- Chicken Selects
- Vegetable Deluxe
- Veggie Dippes
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 - Four Nuggets
- Happy Meal - Veggie Dippers
New opening times
The newly reopened restaurants will be open from 11am to 10pm, each day.
Breakfast is usually only served until 11am each day, hence why there are no McMuffins or bacon rolls on the reduced menu.
McDonald's opening times have always varied, with some being open for 24 hours before the coronavirus lockdown.
Delivery and drive-thru only
Dining areas will remain closed to the public in the reopened branches, so you can't sit inside and eat.
At the moment, you can only order food for delivery or pick it up via a drive-thru.
If you're planning on visiting a drive-thru, you can now also pre-order your food for collection via the My McDonald's app.
It could come in handy to speed up the order process, as some Maccies fans said they had to wait two hours to get their food.
Or you can order your food for delivery from Uber Eats - although keep in mind you'll be charged a delivery fee per order.
This will vary depending on how far away from the restaurant you are.
Limited orders
You'll only be allowed order £25 worth of food and drinks on each visit.
This is to keep the restaurants running smoothly as they try and get a handle on an increased number of orders.
This limit doesn't include the delivery fee if you're ordering via Uber Eats.
New staff safety measures
To help keep staff safe in reopened stores, all workers have been given gloves and face masks.
Plus they'll be required to have temperature checks before starting their shift.
Perspex screens have also been installed in kitchen areas to help maintain social distances between staff and customers.
Strict cleaning regime
All stores will be deep cleaned before reopening, McDonald's has confirmed.
Staff are also being expected to increase their usual hygiene routine, including washing their hands at least every 30 minutes.
Slower service than normal
Demand is likely to be high, and McDonald’s has warned that service might be slow while it works with reduced staff numbers.
And restaurants could be busy.
“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," McDonald's said.
“We will continue to work with local authorities and the police as we extend our reopening plans.”
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It will also only release the restaurants reopening on each day on the morning that they begin trading, to try and avoid a huge rush.
Contactless payments
You can technically choose to pay with cash via Just Eat and Uber Eats, but McDonald's is asking customers to use card and contactless options where possible.
This is so there can be minimum contact between customers and delivery drivers.
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Meanwhile, KFC has reopened 500 branches for delivery and takeaway.
And Nando's now has 93 restaurants open.