Yahoo Finance Coronavirus: Burger King, KFC, and Pret A Manger start to reopen
Burger King, KFC, and Pret A Manger are set to reopen a limited number of restaurants after closing due to the coronavirus lockdown.
The takeaway chains have or will open some outlets around the country for delivery only, in line with government guidelines that allow restaurants and pubs to prepare food for collection or delivery.
Burger King plans to reopen two restaurants in Bristol, one in Coventry, and one in Swindon, with a limited menu.
The fast food chain said workers will wear masks and gloves while observing strict cleaning rules, and will be trained in social distancing and running delivery-only kitchens hygienically.
The restaurants will donate 1,000 meals per week to staff working at NHS hospitals nearby to the reopened outlets.
Katie Evans, marketing director at the chain, said Burger King hoped the re-openings would go “some way to lifting our customers' spirits in these difficult times.”
She told the BBC: “We want to demonstrate how appreciative everyone at Burger King UK is of [NHS staff] efforts in these unprecedented times.”
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KFC announced it had reopened 11 restaurants around the UK in the past week for delivery only, with a reduced menu.
The chicken restaurant said it has donated “thousands of meals from all our open restaurants to those on the frontline, including the NHS and key workers, in partnership with Deliveroo, and will continue to do so each week whilst the situation continues.”
A KFC spokesperson said: “We've spent the time since closure developing new processes to ensure we can reopen carefully and responsibly, which we've now started to do.
“We also saw the impact the situation is having on those who may not be able to easily get to the supermarkets, like key workers. There's a need for affordable, accessible food and we wanted to do our part."
The company said that furloughed staff would find their jobs "waiting for them when we are able to fully reopen.”
Pret a Manger is set to reopen 10 shop kitchens near London hospitals from Thursday.
“This allows us to also get our supply chain up and running to donate food to homeless charities, so we will be donating 7,000 additional meals per week to our homeless charity partners,” the chain said in a statement.
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The sandwich chain is giving NHS workers a 50% discount until the end of April.
Pret's CEO Pano Christou wrote on their website that the chain had “been hearing from local NHS workers and hospitals that they want to be able to access freshly made food nearby.”
“We are incredibly grateful that 160 team members have volunteered to help reopen 10 shops in London, located close to hospitals.”
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