McDonald's Issues Update About Irish And UK Operations As COVID-19 Crisis Continues

McDonald's has issued a statement from its UK and Ireland CEO, Paul Pomroy, that provides an update about the status of the fast food chain's operations in Ireland and the UK as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

Pomroy stated, "In March, we took the decision to temporarily close our restaurants in the UK and Ireland for the safety of our people and customers. Recently, we began working through a potential and limited reopening. We have been listening to our employees and customers as well as engaging with government and trade bodies to help ensure we do this responsibly, when the time is right.

"Restarting our business is not an easy task, even when reopening in a limited capacity. We have set ourselves some key criteria for reopening, all of which take time - first and foremost ensuring the well-being of our people and creating the right environment for them to return to work; secondly, ensuring we have enough supply of fresh produce; and, finally, working in-step with government guidelines to ensure the safety of our customers."

"Operational Tests"

Pomroy added, "This week, we are carrying out some operational tests to explore what our reopening might look like. The restaurant where these tests take place will remain closed to the public. These tests will include exploring social distancing measures for our crew, PPE [personal protective equipment] options and opening in a limited capacity. For now, we remain closed, and will only reopen when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone's well-being."

© 2020 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.