McDonald’s and franchises catch ‘covid fatigue’ for safety checks

According to an internal note seen by Reuters on Friday, McDonald’s Corp. Will inspect restaurants to ensure compliance with safety standards.

“It is clear that we are predicting in many people that this will be the most difficult time of the epidemic,” said a note from McDonald’s Chief Field Officer Fischer Charlie Strong and two American franchisees who lead internal relationships with the corporation.

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The so-called “safety retrieval visits” were developed jointly with the franchisees, the note said, and the decision should be completed by December 31. The company may make follow-up visits if necessary.

Stores owned by the company will also be investigated, McDonald’s said.

Epidemics have called for sweeping changes to how restaurants operate, with many relying more on drive-through, carry-out and delivery.

U.S. sales plummeted in most rest restaurant rent in April as the coronavirus ban became widespread. Since then most major chains, including McDonald’s, have seen steady improvement.

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McDonald’s owners have also been urged in the note that Drive-Thruce may include devices that allow customers to use a credit card without assigning a carrier, and that staffing is separated by protective panels when social distance is not possible.

In a separate blog post on Friday, President Erlinger, McDonald’s USA president, said the burger chain would soon be called to the industry’s roundtable, through which key lessons learned would be shared.

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“The success of McDonald’s – like the success of Walmart, Apple Paul, Starbucks or any other US-based business – depends on us all getting back to some version of normal as soon as possible.”

(Reporting by Hillary Rush, edited by Chris Hephaestal, Louis Heaven and Cynthia Ter Sterman)