McDonald's reopens in Maharashtra after 6 months of lockdown

Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald's restaurants in West and South India, has reopened its restaurants in Maharashtra after a six-month-long COVID-19 led lockdown. The company will ensure a safe and hygienic experience for its employees and customers, Westlife Development said in a regulatory filing.

McDonald's is re-starting the dine-in service with its "Golden Guarantee Platform" of safety, hygiene and deliciousness, it said.

This Golden Guarantee platform by McDonald's India West and South encapsulates 42 top-notch safety and hygiene processes that the company has added to their practices. These new processes ensure that the food is prepared and served without being touched by bare hands. 

"They also ensure contactless operations, frequent sanitisation, social distancing and usage of all required protective gears across dine-in, delivery and take-out channels, thus making sure that both employees and customers remain safe, every step of the way," Westlife Development said.

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Lauding the move of re-opening restaurants by the Maharashtra state government, Saurabh Kalra, Chief Operating Officer, McDonald's India (West and South) said, "The dine-in operations in the state are opening after more than 6 months and we are committed to making the experience completely safe, hygienic and special for our customers. In the wake of the ongoing health crisis, we have put in place global SoPs, created new processes and adhered to all government mandates to ensure complete safety for both our customers and our people."

McDonald's will also be scrutinising the safety and hygiene practices at their suppliers' ends to make sure that every detail in the food safety management procedure is taken care of.

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To ensure a completely contact-less dine-inexperience, McDonald's has also enabled contactless ordering through digital menus sent through Whatsapp and contactless payments through UPI or Tap n Pay.

Here is a sneak peek into what you can expect when you next visit a McDonald's restaurant for dine-in:

• Designated social distancing markings at the ordering counters and inside the kitchens for customers and employees, respectively.
• Mandatory temperature checks will be conducted for all customers and employees at the entrance.
• Alternate table and chair seating arrangement to ensure social distancing among customers in the dining area.
• Employees will be wearing protective gear like masks and gloves. 
• Food will be prepared and served without being touched by bare hands. 
• Kitchen equipments and tables will be sanitised every four hours.
• Delivery riders will be standing at designated markings while waiting to collect the order.

By Chitranjan Kumar