The global food giant McDonalds announced the re-opening of select restaurants in Dublin, Paul Pomroy Chief Executive Officer for McDonald’s UK and Ireland confirmed.
The first locations in Dublin to open will be drive thru restaurants, while the other locations in Ireland will soon follow.
The company is one of the largest investors in Irish beef, spending approximately €163 million to supply its chains in Ireland. The company contributes nearly €200 million to the economy of Ireland, McDonald’s officials state.
Pomroy stated: “There has been an incredible response to news of our reopening and we know many of you are eager for us to extend our reopening plans at a faster pace. The wellbeing of our employees, suppliers and delivery partners’ couriers is my top priority and we will only extend our plans at a pace that enables us to create a safe working environment for our teams.”
“In the last few days, updated government guidance has been shared in both the UK and Ireland, which makes it clear that takeaways and deliveries can operate. I can today announce we will pilot reopening 6 Drive-Thru restaurants in the Dublin area on Wednesday, 20th May and we will confirm the locations next week. In early June, we will then begin our next phases of reopening our Drive-Thrus in towns and cities across the UK and Ireland. We will keep you updated as restaurants open in your area.”
The company will cap the spending at their Drive Thrus at €30 per car. The company encourages contactless payment when possible.
Furthermore, the company will be taking several precausive measures to ensure the safety of both workers and customers:
- 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 our people including gloves for customer and courier facing positions and face masks, but not the type needed by healthcare professionals;
- And additional training on cleanliness practices, including increased frequency of handwashing and extra sanitising of touchpoints around the restaurant
The company adds that there will be some difficulties to the initial re-opening, warning that the sevrice may not be as fast as it used to as the company has to limit the number of people in their teams, both with those serving and preparing food, to ensure social distancing protocols can be followed.
“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,” Pomroy concluded.