McDonald’s and Nando's to close all UK restaurants until further notice

Fast food restaurant McDonald’s and chicken specialist Nando’s have both announced they will be closing their UK stores as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

McDonald’s, which after closing its sit-in restaurants has been offering takeaway and drive-thru services, has decided to close its UK network of restaurants entirely.

Restaurant chain Nando’s has also announced it has closed its 400 UK restaurants ‘until further notice’.

In a tweet posted on Sunday 22 March, Nando’s said it had “decided that the best course of action right now is to temporarily close our restaurants”, with the health and safety of its customers and staff being its “highest priority”.

McDonald’s has agreed to pay its staff wages up until April 5, at which point it expects that the government’s support package - announced on Friday to support the hospitality industry - will kick in.

McDonald’s UK boss, Paul Pomroy, commented: “Over the last 24 hours, it has become clear that maintaining safe social distancing whilst operating busy takeaway and Drive Thru restaurants is increasingly difficult.

“Therefore we have taken the decision to close every restaurant in the UK and Ireland by 7pm on Monday 23 March.

“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.”

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