McDONALD'S has announced that it will reopen some of its Irish restaurants for walk-in takeaway services this week.
The fast-food giant made the call to voluntarily close its doors to members of the public due to the mounting Covid-19 case numbers throughout the country.
This meant that if customers wanted grab a bite, then drive through and third-party delivery services – through the likes of Deliveroo – were their only option.
The business said that it was using the time to take stock of its safety measures before reopening the walk-in takeaway service.
A statement released by the franchise revealed that it has worked with health and safety consultants to ensure the measures being undertaken are sufficient to limit the spread of coronavirus.
It said that minor changes had been made on the back of the third-party advice that will be incorporated throughout all of their venues.
"This week, a small number of our restaurants will trial reopening walk-in takeaway with these enhancements in place, with the plan to reopen the majority of restaurants for walk-in takeaway across Ireland from Monday 22nd February," it said.
Consumption of food or drink on the premises remains prohibited by government restrictions. Though takeaway services – either by walk-in order and collection, or delivery – are once again permitted.
As part of the new safety measures, visors must be worn by customer facing employees, and both staff and customers will be required to wear face coverings.
New guidance will also be issued around customer and courier flow in and out of the Golden Arches restaurant chain.
"The wellbeing of our people, as well as our suppliers, couriers and our customers remains our top priority, and we are confident the new processes in place will further enhance our already robust safety measures," it said.
