McDonald's said today that all of its drive-thru restaurants in Ireland will reopen by Thursday June 4.
The company said that between Tuesday and Thursday next week, 51 of its restaurants will reopen for drive-thru services and it also will start to expand the availability of a delivery service.
This follows the opening of six drive-thru restaurants in Dublin last week. The opening of the restaurants caused some traffic disruptions around the city as people queued in their cars for food.
McDonald's also said it will re-open 28 restaurants in Northern Ireland for drive-thru and deliveries from June 4.
McDonald's is one of the largest purchasers of Irish beef and it spends €163m alone on beef for export to its restaurants in the UK and Europe.
It also spends nearly €100m on Irish dairy produce, including milk, cheese, butter and ice-cream.
Its 95 restaurants contribute close to €200m to the Irish economy, according to the company.
McDonald's had temporarily closed all its restaurants in Ireland and the UK in March.
It said today that with fewer employees working in its kitchens, service may take little longer than usual.
"Face coverings, gloves, Perspex screens and new safety and hygiene processes mean it will look different, it will take a little longer and as we've seen in the pilot restaurants, we expect demand will be high," the fast food chain said.
"With smaller teams, we will still be offering a limited menu over reduced hours, and we ask that you make contactless payments, and limit your spend to €30," it added.
During the last week, McDonald's closed some of its drive-thru lanes on occasions where demand had "impacted local communities" or the safety of the company's staff or customers.
"We will continue to work with local stakeholders and An Garda Síochána as we extend our reopening plans," it added.
