A government minister has confirmed it could be "well possible" for McDonald's to open all of its drive-thrus in the UK.
On Wednesday (May 13) the fast food chain will reopen 15 of its stores for delivery, each one serving a limited menu and operating with social distancing measures in place.
But environment secretary George Eustice has given the green light to the firm to reopen all drive-thrus across the UK, as they are "made" for social distancing, he said.
Asked if fast food outlets could have stayed open during the crisis, Mr Eustice said: "While clearly restaurants and pubs had to close, we were quite keen to keep that capacity to be able to do takeaway food for people."
He suggested reduced footfall in town centres, staff anxiety and a sense of what was "socially acceptable" given the stay-at-home message had led to places such as McDonald’s and KFC closing, reported Manchester Evening News.
Mr Eustice went on: "I think it is quite possible for these venues to reopen and reopen safely, we never mandated that they should close.
"We have learned a lot from supermarkets and other food outlets about how you can do social distancing and do it well.
"I think some of those food-to-go businesses will probably be seeking to learn lessons from what supermarkets have done as they consider tentatively reopening."
McDonald's, however, is approaching the reopening of its restaurants with caution, and has said branches will only start serving food to the public once it is safe to do so.
In a statement to shoppers, Paul Pomroy, Chief Executive Officer for McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said: "On May 13 we will reopen 15 of our restaurants in the UK; this will be in a limited capacity with delivery only.
"The restaurants involved will be announced next week as we work through inviting our employees back to work and supporting our delivery partners to prepare for our gradual return."
He added: "As you know, McDonald’s already has high standards for cleanliness and routine cleaning of our restaurants has always been in place.
"We will increase how often these procedures are completed and provide all employees with updated training on restaurant cleanliness and sanitisation. All restaurants will be deep cleaned before reopening."
The first fifteen branches are set to open this Wednesday, and will be offering delivery only.
The 15 McDonald's stores reopening first for delivery are:
- Chelmsford Riverside
- Chelmsford Westway
- Ipswich Cardinal Park
- Boreham Interchange
- Luton Leagrave
- Watford Hertfordshire Arms
- Chaul End Lane, Luton
- Beechings Way, Gillingham
- Sittingbourne Retail Park
- Gillingham Bowaters
- Tooting
- Dalston
- Welling
- Harrow
- Luton George Street
The stores will be offering a limited menu, and items will only be available to order via UberEats - not on the McDonald's app for the timebeing.
