Cars Queue Down The Street As McDonald's Restaurants Reopen For Drive-Thru

Hungry Brits were lovin' it as McDonald's reopened restaurants for drive-thru across the UK, leading to huge queues.

Footage shows cars backed up along the street as motorists waited for their first taste of Maccies since the restaurants closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Yesterday morning (Wednesday 20 May), the chain revealed a list of branches that were reopening their drive-thru lanes and people soon flocked to the restaurants to get their fix. Indeed, police had to get involved in Peterborough to help control the flow of cars at the Boongate restaurant.

A Cambridgeshire police spokesman said: "Officers attended the McDonald's in Padholme Road East this afternoon to assist with the flow of traffic in the area. The road was not closed and officers assisted while McDonald's staff reassessed their drive-thru policy to deal with demand."

Yes, if lockdown has taught us anything, it's that people really do love fast food.

But while the queues do speak volumes about our appetite for chips and burgers, it's also worth pointing out that the drive-thrus aren't operating quite as slickly as normal due to a range of new restrictions designed to help fight the spread of Covid-19.

PA

Paul Pomroy, McDonald's CEO for the UK and Ireland, said in a statement: "When your local drive-thru does reopen, it will be different. Our service will not be as quick as you might be used to, as we adjust to smaller teams and social distancing in our kitchens.

"We expect there will be some queues for some of our busier sites and our restaurants will look different, with Perspex screens at our drive-thru windows and employees wearing protective equipment.

"I ask that you continue to be supportive of and patient with our restaurant teams as we slowly and safely return. We are asking all of our employees to adapt to how our restaurants now work, and will only reopen at a pace that enables them to work safely.

"As we get accustomed to the new processes and procedures, we will look to reopen more restaurants, for longer hours and reintroduce more menu items. But only when I am confident we can do so whilst maintaining the new procedures we have introduced for the protection of our people."

PA

The chain plans to reopen all of its restaurants by June.

A full list of reopened restaurants reads as follows:

Drive-thru only:

IPSWICH RANELAGH RD
IPSWICH - RAVENSWOOD
IPSWICH WHITEHOUSE
CHELMSFORD - REGIMENT BUSINESS PARK
TRAVELLERS FRIEND
OLDFIELDS ROAD DT
NORTH CHEAM
STROOD
MEDWAY VALLEY PARK
BUSHEY
STAINES DT
STAINES - ASHFORD
BOURGES BOULEVARD
PETERBOROUGH - BOONGATE
PETERBOROUGH - HAMPTON
PETERBOROUGH - MORRISONS
EYE GREEN
PETERBOROUGH - GLINTON
MEDWAY CITY ESTATE
BOBBING - SHEPPEY WAY
DUNSTABLE - LUTON ROAD
LUTON RETAIL PARK GIPSY LANE
GARSTON (WATFORD)

Open for McDelivery and Drive-Thru:

CHELMSFORD RIVERSIDE
CHELMSFORD WESTWAY
IPSWICH CARDINAL PARK
BOREHAM INTERCHANGE
LUTON LEAGRAVE
WATFORD HERTFORDSHIRE ARMS
LUTON - CHAUL END LANE
BEECHINGS WAY
SITTINGBOURNE RETAIL PARK
GILLINGHAM - BOWATERS

Dublin Drive-Thru Reopening:

NUTGROVE
KYLEMORE ROAD
EAST WALL
ARTAINE
MALAHIDE ROAD
TALLAGHT DRIVE THRU

Still Open for McDelivery:

TOOTING
DALSTON
WELLING
HARROW
LUTON GEORGE STREET

Topics: Food, UK News, Coronavirus, McDonald's

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey