Burger King, KFC and Pret among major UK food chains beginning limited reopening

Burger King, KFC and Pret A Manger are opening certain restaurants around the country after closing during the coronavirus lockdown.

Government guidelines state that while restaurants and pubs have to close, they can prepare food for collection or delivery.

The chains are expected to offer a limited menu and no dining-in option as the Government is poised to extend the national coronavirus lockdown for another three weeks at today's daily press conference (April 16).

Four Burger King branches have opened again today: two in Bristol, one in Coventry, and one in Swindon.

The company also announced it will give 1,000 free meals a week to NHS staff, and will provide all of its workers with personal protective equipment.

Burger King marketing director Katie Evans said: “We are committed to providing 1,000 meals a week to NHS staff based in the vicinity of these restaurants as we want to demonstrate how appreciative everyone at Burger King UK is of their efforts in these unprecedented times.”

KFC is reopening 11 of its restaurants with staff volunteering to work.

The restaurants are in Aldershot, Birmingham, Glasgow, Ipswich, London, Manchester, Portsmouth, Stockport, and Tamworth.

It said on social media: “Our teams are amazing and we’d never ask them to come back to work if they weren’t comfortable, so they’re returning on an opt-in basis.”

Pret A Manger has resumed food production in 10 shop kitchens located near hospitals for takeaway and delivery with a 50% discount for NHS staff until the end of April.

Pret’s chief executive Pano Christou said in a statement: “We are incredibly grateful that 160 team members have volunteered to help reopen 10 shops in London, located close to hospitals.

“In doing so, this will help give frontline healthcare workers better access to freshly prepared food while also getting our supply chain up and running again to deliver food to the homeless.”

The Government is expected to announce that the coronavirus lockdown will be extended for another three weeks, amid renewed warnings that it is still too soon to begin easing the restrictions as the numbers of hospital patients may not yet be at a peak.