McDonald’s is reopening for dine-in service at 700 restaurants - these are the safety rules

Fast food fans can look forward to a long awaited return to McDonald’s restaurants this week, as the chain reopens for dine-in service. From Wednesday 22 July, around 700 restaurants will allow customers to enjoy their meal inside, with a number of new safety measures in place. What new rules will there be? The reopening of restaurants for dine-in service comes following a successful pilot to ensure branches can welcome customers back safely. McDonald’s will have a number of social distancing measures in place to help prevent congestion, and the number of customers allowed inside at one time will be strictly limited. On arrival, customers will be required to sanitise their hands and follow floor markings and signposting, which are set out both inside and outside of restaurants, to help maintain a safe distance from others. Food will be served via table-service only, with customers able to order directly to their table via the My McDonald’s App. Alternatively, it will also be possible to pay at the till or kiosk. Contactless payments are encouraged where possible and all touchpoints, including self-order screens, card readers and doors, will be sanitised at least every 30 minutes. In line with government guidance, McDonald’s will also be asking customers who choose to dine in to provide their contact details. This can be done using your smartphone, by scanning a QR code which will direct you to a webpage, or by simply visiting the URL that will be provided on each table. Customers will be asked to provide their name, the number of people in their group, a contact number, the date and time of their visit, and the restaurant number, which will be labelled on a sticker on each table. Which restaurants are open for dine-in? Around 700 restaurants across the UK will reopen for dine-in service on Wednesday 22 July. However, this will not apply to any restaurants in Wales, as dining inside is still not permitted. The in-restaurant table service follows the reopening for takeaway, drive through and McDelivery which have been rolled out over the past seven weeks. To find out if your nearest McDonald’s restaurant is open for dine-in, you can use the restaurant locator tool online. The reopening of the dine-in areas will also allow some restaurants to participate in the Chancellor’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which offers a 50 per cent discount on bills, up to the value of £10, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August. Further details of participating restaurants are to be shared on the McDonald’s website and via the My McDonald’s app.