McDonald’s and Greggs set to close UK sites for Queen’s funeral

McDonald's, which has more than 1,200 outlets in the UK, said all of its sites would be shut from midnight until 5pm on the day; while Greggs has said the majority of its 2,000-strong estate will be closed until Tuesday. 

In a statement, McDonald’s UK said: “All of our UK restaurants will be closed on Monday until 5pm, to allow everyone at McDonald’s to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

“Operating hours and services may vary after 5pm, so please check our app before travelling.”

The fast food giant added that it would be paying employees at company-owned restaurants for their scheduled hours.

Monday has been designated as a bank holiday to allow as many people as possible to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen. However, there is no requirement for businesses to close, with that decision being left up to individual companies.

In its own statement, Greggs said: “To give our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Greggs shops will be closed on Monday 19th September.”

The bakery chain added that a small number of its shops, operated by our franchise partners, may remain open.

Operators have been preparing plans to mark the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, with some voicing concern about setting the right tone during the period of mourning​​.

Will Beckett, CEO of Hawksmoor, announced on Twitter on Tuesday (13 September) that the steak restaurant group will remain open during its regular trading hours, suggesting that operators can mark the period of mourning in a myriad of ways.

“If you want to shut, so you/your staff/customers can grieve or take part in an important national moment, then you should,” he tweeted. “Just try not to make it sound like you are ‘showing respect for the Queen’ and implying that those doing differently are not.”