McDonalds reopens seating areas with table service only in four restaurants
MCDONALD'S has reopened seating areas in four branches across the UK and Ireland offering table service only.
It comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme last week, giving diners 50 per cent off meals eaten in restaurants.
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The scheme cuts food and soft drink bills by up to £10 per person on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August and is an aim to boost the hospitality sector following the coronavirus crisis.
McDonald's has so far reopened branches for delivery, takeaway and drive-thru but now also offers dine-in in four of its restaurants.
These are located in Derby, Cross Cheaping in Coventry, Doncaster Road in Scunthorpe as well as Tallaght in the Republic of Ireland.
Later today, the fast food chain also plans to reopen 27 more restaurants for dine-in in the Republic of Ireland, located in cities such as Cork and Dublin.
McDonald's menu items being cut in price
MCDONALD'S is reducing the prices of fan favourites from today, July 5, due to a VAT cut.
Just keep in mind that franchisees can set their own prices, so make sure you double-check this before you buy.
- A 50p reduction on breakfast meals.
- 30p off the price of single McMuffins.
- Black and white coffee for 99p, instead of £1.39.
- Premium coffees such as cappuccino and latte for £1.49 instead of £1.79.
- 20p off McNuggets, the Big Mac, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese.
- 20p off other burgers such as the Filet O'Fish, McChicken sandwich and Veggie Deluxe.
- A 40p reduction on Extra Value Meals.
- 30p reduced for every Happy Meal.
The move will see restaurants reopen with table service only, reducing seating capacity by as much as 70 per cent to enable social distancing.
Customers will be able to order at the kiosk, at the till or from your table using the McDonald's app and staff will then bring the food to your table.
Other safety measures to keep customers and staff safe includes hand-sanitising stations, floor markings and perspex screens.
Plus, the fast food chain has boosted cleaning processes of touchpoints and seating areas.
McDonald's said it's testing how to safely reopen outside seating areas in its restaurants this week too.
It's currently offering a limited menu due to maintain social distancing between kitchen staff, but is slowly adding more items.
The announcement comes as the fast food chain is slashing prices including Big Macs and Happy Meals from today thanks to a VAT cut.
Wetherspoons will cut food and drink prices by up to 28 per cent this week.
KFC, meanwhile, is cutting the price of its boneless bucket from £10 to £5.
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McDonald's shut all of its 1,350 restaurants across the UK in March amid the Covid-19 lockdown.
Last month, it then reopened almost 1,000 drive-thrus as it gradually welcomed back customers.
And last week, McDonald's reopened 1,300 restaurants for breakfast.