McDonald’s trials branch behind closed doors

Fast food fans have been buoyed by news that burger chain McDonald’s is testing reopening a branch this week.

The bad news for hungry folk is that the branch will only open for “operational tests” and remain closed to customers.

The chain said: “Recently, we began working through a potential and limited reopening.”

But it refused to put a date on when customers would be able to pick up a Happy Meal again.

“Restarting our business is not an easy task, even when reopening in a limited capacity,” said Paul Pomroy, McDonald’s UK and Ireland chief executive.

“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.”

Responsible reopening

Rumours began circulating that the chain would soon be serving up its popular Big Mac meals last week after the Irish Farmers Journal reported that some branches would reopen in May.

The restaurant group says it is keen to reopen branches as soon as it can, but it won’t rush into doing so.

“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,” said Mr Pomroy.

He said McDonald’s had set itself some key criteria for reopening, all of which take time.

These include ensuring the well-being of workers and creating the right environment for them to return to work.

It also needs to ensure it has enough supply of fresh produce.

Finally, it is working in step with government guidelines to ensure the safety of customers.