There were mad scenes at a McDonald's store in Dublin this afternoon as it reopened for the first time since March.
The drive-thru at the fast-food giant's Nutgrove restaurant was packed with cars in a mile-long queue.
Punters flocked to their nearest McDonald's when the company announced the locations of the six stores in the capital that were reopening on Wednesday.
This video taken shortly after 11am, when they opened back up for business, shows vehicle in bumper to bumper traffic stretching all the way back to the main road, Nutgrove Way.
McDonald's warned in a statement prior to the reopening that drive-thrus may closed if queues get out of hand.
A spokesman said: "With restaurant teams adjusting to new procedures to enable safe working and social distancing, things may take a little longer – and high demand is anticipated.
"McDonald’s and its franchisees are working closely with local authorities and An Garda Síochána, and may determine that it is necessary to close Drive Thru lanes, if queues cause disruption at busier sites."
The other five restaurants that opened are at Kylemore Road, East Wall, Artane, Malahide Road and T allaght Drive Thru.
McDonald’s aims to open all drive-thrus in Ireland in early June.
Before heading to a McDonald's there are five changes you need to take note of.
They are:
- Capped spend in Drive Thrus at €30 per car and customers are encouraged to pay by contactless payment methods wherever possible.
- Perspex screens at Drive Thru windows and employees wearing protective equipment, as well as Perspex screens and floor markings in specific areas in the restaurant and kitchen.
- All McDonald’s employees will be asked to confirm they are fit and able to work, and contactless thermometers will be used to take employee temperatures upon arrival at work for every shift.
- Social distancing has been introduced in the kitchens and service areas to help create a safe working environment for restaurant teams.
- Restaurants will return with smaller teams, offering a limited menu.
The reopening of McDonald's has recreated jobs in the meat industry with Dawn Meats announcing that the processing of beef at its facility at Carrolls Cross, Waterford, is to recommence on 25 May.
Niall Browne CEO Dawn Meats said: “The reopening of Carrolls Cross is great news for staff and our supplier farmers, and an important confidence boost for all who have been affected by the closure of restaurants and the loss of the associated production.
"We are particularly pleased that we have been able to maintain secure employment for all staff, thereby ensuring our ability to swiftly restart production as restaurants reopen on a phased basis as planned.”
However, the long queues at drive-thrus has raised concerns over public health.
Tom Spencer, Editor of IrishEVs, said: "The reopening of drive-thrus in Ireland poses a considerable question about corporate profitability versus public health.
"The average wait of 3 minutes 15 seconds at a drive-thru equates to 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 annually: equal to adding 320,000 cars to the road.
"We've seen considerable queues with much higher than average wait times and drivers idling while they wait for their food.
"Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more CO2 emissions than turning off and restarting your engine.
"We at IrishEVs urge the government to consider forcing the permanent closure of drive-thrus in the interest of public health and taking meaningful climate action."
