Residents must move cars for supersized Mcdonald’s queue

A COUNCIL has told residents they cannot park outside their own houses in order to make way for Mcdonald’s customers queueing at a reopened drive-through outlet.

Households in Southend, Essex, were given a day’s notice to move their cars before the fast-food outlet resumed trading.

Mcdonald’s is opening hundreds of its venues for drive-through customers this week, with long queues expected as people gear up for their first Big Mac since lockdown began. Some reopened sites have reported queues of up to two hours.

In preparation, Southend council posted a notice on Monday evening suspending parking on adjacent roads for up to two weeks.

A spokesman for Mcdonald’s said: “Our team in Southend has been proactive in engaging with the police and Southend council to help manage the impact that reopening will have on residents.

“Last week, the restaurant team wrote to residents in anticipation that there may be some temporary disruption, and we appreciate their patience over the next few days.” Ron Woodley, the Southend council cabinet member for transport, said: “We were asked to work closely with Essex Police to ensure a temporary and safe traffic management system is in place.

“[This is] to accommodate an expected influx of visitors to both sites, as Mcdonald’s reopen all their drivethrough restaurants to the public.

“We are suspending parking on the carriageway along Cokefield Avenue and Pantile Avenue between 10am and 10pm. The suspension [will be] in place for up to two weeks, but this will be under constant review and removed as soon as possible.”

The fast food company announced last week that it aims to open 1,000 of its drive-through or delivery outlets by today. It has put safety measures in place such as plastic screens, face coverings, gloves and social distancing measures.

The chain has also arranged for fewer employees to be in the kitchens to comply with social distancing. It has a limited menu with no breakfast or shakes and will be open for reduced hours from 11am to 10pm. Customers can browse the menu, order and pay ahead using the My Mcdonald’s app.

Other chain restaurants including Subway, Burger King, Pret a Manger, Nando’s and Wagamama are also making plans to reopen more of their sites.