- McDonald’s is pausing its restaurant reopening plan due to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States.
- For the next 21 days, McDonald’s will not reopen the dining rooms at any location.
- “This increase shows that no one is exempt from this virus, even in places that previously had very few cases,” the McDonald’s leadership said in an internal letter.
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McDonald’s is pausing to reopen restaurants, as COVID-19 cases increase in the United States.
On Wednesday, the fast-food giant announced it would pause plans to reopen the dinner for the next 21 days, in an internal letter.
In a letter seen by Business Insider, franchisees who reopened soup kitchens were instructed to carefully review new state and local guidelines that may require a return to a business model focused on delivery, delivery and execution. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the letter and McDonald’s plan to stop the reopening.
“COVID-19 cases are on the rise, with a 65 percent increase in infections in the past two weeks,” read the letter from Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s in the US, and Mark Salebra, chief of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance. “In the past seven days, 32 states saw increasing cases, and this number appears to be growing.”
Erlinger and Salebra say the McDonald’s system must “act with the same mindset and discipline that we used during the crisis.” This includes employees and, in some areas, customers who must wear masks, continuous wellness and temperature checks, and enforce social distancing.
“This increase shows that no one is exempt from this virus, even in places that previously had very few cases,” the letter says. “In the future, we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust as necessary to protect the safety of our employees and customers.”
Some McDonald’s franchisees have reopened dining rooms in recent weeks, as states allow restaurants to reopen. Through the pandemic, the chain has emphasized its drive-thru business. Sales at the chain’s same store fell about 25% in late March and generally improved in the following weeks, according to the company.
