THE boss of McDonald’s has apologised to customers who have been turned away from drive-thrus and unable to get deliveries in recent days.
In an email to customers, Paul Pomroy also warned orders may take longer to process so staff can operate safely by “slowing things down”.
The fast food chain stopped serving takeaways for walk-in customers in England last week after the country was plunged into a national lockdown.
Pubs and restaurants are allowed to continue to serve takeaways but the burger giant stopped the service while it reviews whether any extra safety measures are needed.
McDelivery and drive-thru services are still going ahead but some fans have complained they haven’t been able to access them.
One user wrote: “Really fancied McDonald’s. Drove there [and] they’ve closed the drive thru [and you] can only order online.”
Another said: “@McDonaldsUK I just placed a collect order on your app and have been told by the store they are now shut and I should get a refund through the app. How do I do that?”
A third person tweeted: “@McDonaldsUK How come the app says [you’re] open, but you do to the drive through and there’s no response.”
In his email, Mr Pomroy addressed the issues a handful of customers have experienced at some stores.
“I am sorry for any disappointment that has been caused by this temporary change to our services,” he wrote.
He said the chain will begin reviewing how to reopen the takeaway services safely this week although he was unable to confirm when it will be running again.
Mr Pomroy said: “Once again, thank you for your continued patience.
“I know it is not the service you’re used to, but I do hope you understand the reasons why we’re taking these steps, slowing things down and reviewing our enhanced safety measures.”
In the meantime, the fast food giant’s click and serve scheme has been rolled out to all drive-thru branches to help reduce queues.
Customers can place and pay for their order via the free McDonald’s app and have it brought to them in their car at the restaurant.
The service is free, so it won’t cost you extra to order food from your vehicle.
Alternatively, customers can get their meals delivered to their doors through Just Eat or Uber Eats.
There isn’t a minimum spend but there are delivery charges – it costs £3.99 to order through Uber Eats and £3.50 for meals placed through Just Eat.
Customers are being advised to use the McDonald’s restaurant locator to check what their local is doing, as well as the latest opening times.
Meanwhile, a Maccies fan has revealed the genius way to eat fast food one-handed in your car without making a mess.
We also showed how you can make your own McDonald’s meals at home so you don’t have to leave the house.
Yesterday, we reported how one McDonald’s worker was “close to tears” after being forced to handle a large stack of delivery orders alone.