McDonald’s has announced that it is carrying out operational testing for the potential reopening of one of its branches.

The tests are being carried out in a single branch and that restaurant will remain closed to the public.

It comes after a number of restaurants and fast food chains, including Burger King and KFC, announced that it would be reopening some branches for delivery and takeaway.

Having closed all of its sites in the UK and Ireland just over a month ago, McDoanld’s UK and Ireland CEO, Paul Pomroy, said: “Recently, we began working through a potential and limited reopening.

“We have been listening to our employees and customers as well as engaging with Government and trade bodies to help ensure we do this responsibly, when the time is right.”

“We have been listening to our employees and customers as well as engaging with Government and trade bodies to help ensure we do this responsibly, when the time is right.”

Pomroy refused to set out a date for when sites will reopen to the public, insisting that the safety of its staff and customers must be ensured first.

“Restarting our business is not an easy task even when reopening in a limited capacity. We have set ourselves some key criteria for reopening, all of which take time – first and foremost ensuring the wellbeing of our people and creating the right environment for them to return to work; secondly ensuring we have enough supply of fresh produce; and finally working in-step with Government guidelines to ensure the safety of our customers.

“This week we are carrying out some operational tests to explore what our reopening might look like; the restaurant where these tests take place will remain closed to the public. These tests will include exploring social distancing measures for our crew, PPE options and opening in a limited capacity.

“For now, we remain closed, and will only reopen when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone’s wellbeing.”