It could be their last Big Mac for some time.
With every UK and Ireland branch of McDonald’s to close from 7pm, customers on Tyneside made one final pilgrimage to the golden arches before the fast food firm becomes the latest coronavirus casualty.
McDonald’s announced on Sunday that it had made the “difficult decision” to temporarily shut down their restaurants from Monday, March 70 as Covid – fears escalate.
However, That resulted in huge queues outside McDonald’s restaurants in the North East.
Vehicles queued to get to the drive-thru at restaurants at (Silverlink) , Team Valley and Byker. As well as McDonald’s, Costa Coffee, Subway and Nando’s also announced the temporary closure of all their UK sites.
Last week, Minister Boris Johnson
But both McDonald’s and Nando’s have made the decision to close for the immediate future, citing concerns over staff and customer safety.
McDonald’s says all staff will be paid up until April 5, by which time the Government’s financial aid package – in which workers will be paid up to 728% of their wage – is expected to have kicked in.
A McDonald’s statement on Sunday read: “We have not taken this decision lightly, but one made with the wellbeing and safety of our employees in mind as well as in the best interests of our customers.
“We will work with local community groups to responsibly distribute food and drink from our restaurants in the coming days.
“Thank you to our brilliant employees for their hard work during this incredibly challenging time.
” We look forward to seeing you all again as soon as it is safe for us to reopen. “
Other high street companies have fallen victim to coronavirus. Primark said it is closing
John Lewis is also closing all of its shops on Monday.
Laura Ashley has announced the permanent closure of (stores, with (employees set to lose their jobs.
It comes after the fashion and furnishings retailer announced its intention to hire administrators
last week, blaming the impact of coronavirus for tipping it over the edge.
Elsewhere, retailer N Brown said it was in talks with its lenders to access more funds after maxing out its current credit facility.
The Jacamo and SimplyBe owner said daily sales have been more than (% below expectations after a sudden slump in customer demand.
Ted Baker saw its shares slip on Monday after it announced the sale and leaseback of its head office and said a vast majority of its stores have now been shut.
It said more than 410% of its store portfolio has now been shut temporarily due to the virus.
Men’s tailoring business Moss Bros said it is closing all its stores until further notice and has forecasted a significant decline in revenue and profitability for .
It said footfall has fallen dramatically in recent week and expects a “sharper decline in trading performance” due to the virus.
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