The first McDonald’s restaurant at an MFG site has opened at the Esso-branded Exeter Winning Post services in Devon.

McDonald's MFG Exeter Winning Post

The new McDonald’s restaurant includes drive-thru service

The restaurant, which includes drive-thru service, is owned and operated by McDonald’s franchisee David Shawyer who, with this latest addition, now owns four restaurants across Devon including the McDonald’s restaurants at Marsh Barton and on Exeter High Street.

The restaurant opened on 26 August and provides more than 120 new jobs for the local community.

To help create a safe experience for everyone, the restaurant will opened with several measures in place to help keep employees and customers safe. These measures include:

  • social distancing in the kitchens and service areas to help create a safe working environment for restaurant teams;
  • perspex screens at Drive-Thru windows and employees wearing protective equipment, as well as Perspex screens and floor markings in specific areas in the restaurant and kitchen;
  • all McDonald’s employees are asked to confirm they are fit and able to work, and contactless thermometers are in use to take employee temperatures on arrival at work for every shift;
  • operating with a smaller than usual team and offering a limited menu;
  • customers are encouraged to pay by contactless payment methods;
  • customers can use the My McDonald’s App to browse the menu, order and pay ahead.

There will also be slightly reduced dine-in seating available to start with, to ensure maximum safety, and outdoor seating is also available on the patio area.

David Shawyer commented: “We are delighted to be expanding our operation in Exeter and we’re so looking forward to seeing our new and existing local customers at the restaurant. We’d like to thank our customers in advance for their support and patience as we navigate and adapt to these different ways of working.”

The new restaurant features self-service kiosks enabling customers to order at a speed that suits them. Table service and digital drive-thru menu boards will also be in operation.

The My McDonald’s App will be available to use at the restaurant, allowing customers to order and pay for their meal ahead of time. The app sends a notification to the kitchen as soon as customers are within 100m of the restaurant, meaning all orders are prepared fresh on arrival. Customers can choose to take their meal at the counter, or have it delivered to a table.