McDonald's: Road closed due to large queues in Shoreham

Loyal Mcdonald's customers descended on the chain's Shoreham restaurant this evening following its reopening earlier today.

They had been forced to go seven weeks without their favourite takeaway after the franchise closed all of its branches in March with the introduction of the UK lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.

But the reopening of several drive-throughs in Sussex today has seen immense numbers descend on the sites.

Traffic coped well at Brighton Marina and in Burgess Hill, but the Shoreham site has been overwhelmed with queueing traffic stretching for hundreds of metres.

Read more>>>Huge queues and jubilant customers as McDonald's reopens Sussex sites

An AA spokesman said: "The road is closed and there is slow traffic due to queues at McDonald's in Eastern Avenue.

"The highway is shut both ways between Ham Road and Eastern Close.

"Sensors suggests a closure has been put in place due to the queues which are backing up from the drive-through on to Eastern Avenue."

Several measures have been put in place at McDonald's stores to minimise the risk of the spread of infection during the coronavirus crisis.

A spokeswoman for the franchise said: "Today McDonald’s will reopen restaurants for Drive-Thru and McDelivery with new measures in place to help keep employees and customers safe.

"This follows a successful pilot in May.

"With restaurant teams adjusting to new procedures to enable safe working and social distancing, things may take a little longer – and high demand is anticipated.

"McDonald’s and its franchisees are working closely with local authorities and the police, and may determine that it is necessary to close drive-through lanes if queues cause disruption at busier sites or put employees or customers at risk.

"To help create a safe experience for everyone, McDonald’s has introduced a number of changes to their restaurants, including:

• Social distancing has been introduced in the kitchens and service areas to help create a safe working environment for restaurant teams.
• Perspex screens at drive-through windows and employees wearing protective equipment, as well as Perspex screens and floor markings in specific areas in the restaurant and kitchen.
• All McDonald’s employees will be asked to confirm they are fit and able to work and contactless thermometers will be used to take employee temperatures on arrival at work for every shift.
• Ensuring our delivery procedures with couriers are contactless for both our people and our customers
• Restaurants will return with smaller teams, offering a limited menu* and operating reduced hours.
• Encouraging capped spend for drive-through and McDelivery at £25 per order, and customers are encouraged to pay by contactless payment methods.
• For those visiting drive-throughs, customers can browse the menu, order and pay ahead using the My McDonald’s App."