McDonald's is recommending franchisees close dining rooms in areas with high levels of COVID-19

McDonald's is telling franchisees to close dining rooms in counties with high levels of COVID-19 spread.
The chain was on track to reopen nearly all dining rooms by Labor Day.
Though dining rooms are mostly open, drive-thrus still make up the bulk of orders.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

McDonald's is warning franchisees about possibly closing dining rooms as the Delta variant spreads, Hilary Russ reported for Reuters.

McDonald's recommended owners close dining rooms when COVID cases surpass 250 per 100,000 on a three week average, according to internal documents viewed by Reuters.

"We have a much deeper sense of what actions make a difference for the safety of our restaurant teams and crew," McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger said, according to the documents. McDonald's clarified that this isn't a new policy, just a reminder to franchisees given the spread of the Delta variant.

"We're monitoring the impact of the Delta variant closely and recently convened together with our franchisees to underscore existing safety protocols, reinforce our people-first approach and provide updates on the rise in cases in the country," McDonald's told Insider in a statement. "As we've seen over the last 18 months, McDonald's successfully served customers however they wanted to enjoy McDonald's through digital, delivery, drive-thru and dine-in. Should we see further changes in customer behavior, we are well-positioned to adapt while maintaining high standards for safety. "

The fast-food chain initially closed dining rooms in company-owned stores in March 2020 and asked US franchisees to do the same.

At the end of July, McDonald's said that 70% of dining rooms were reopened, on track to open nearly 100% by Labor Day. Now, it has to contend with the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID. Earlier in August, McDonald's reimplemented mask requirements for all US customers regardless of vaccination status in areas with high rates of transmission. Workers continued to be required to wear face coverings.

The US is now averaging 100,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations daily, the highest level since March. Hospitalizations have increased by nearly 500% over the last two months, according to The New York Times.

Though dining rooms have largely reopened, most business is still through drive-thru and delivery orders. McDonald's also emphasized the importance of drive-thrus in an earnings call. CEO Chris Kempczinski touted McDonald's improved drive-thru times, which have shortened by 30 seconds in the last several years, with a slight three-second setback this year. He says times are still improving, though hurt by the labor shortage.

Some fast-food chains have been forced to close dining rooms recently not because of COVID-19, but because they didn't have enough workers, including a McDonald's in North Carolina.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider