McDonald’s closed all of its restaurants in the UK and Ireland yesterday.
The fast-food giant announced Sunday it would be closing all of its restaurants in the UK and Ireland on Monday. McDonald’s previously closed the seating areas of its restaurants, shifting to takeaway, delivery, and drive-thru options only. The UK and Ireland closure will impact more than 135,000 workers.
In the US, McDonald’s sit-down dining areas have also closed but the chain is fighting to stay open.
In a statement released Sunday, McDonald’s announced it had “taken the difficult decision” to close more than 1,270 locations across the UK and Ireland, which employ more than 135,000 workers amid the pandemic
“We have not taken this decision lightly and know that our restaurants have been playing an important role in the community providing hundreds of thousands of free drinks to frontline health and social workers and emergency services personnel.
“But I have been clear throughout this that we would only continue to operate whilst it was safe for our people and together with our franchisees, we feel now is the time to make this decision to temporarily close,” McDonald’s UK and Ireland CEO Paul Pomroy said in a statement released on Sunday.
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Pomroy indicated UK and Ireland-based McDonald’s will be serving free food and drink to emergency services workers, as well as frontline health workers, ahead of the closure. Pomroy also stated the chain will be working with local communities to distribute the food from its restaurants to people in need.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that all pubs, restaurants, and cafes must close indefinitely bu Friday. But these businesses are limited to offering customers takeout food and drink only.
