McDonald's Issues Unprecedented Order in Wake of the Queen's Death

By Lorri Wickenhauser September 15, 2022 at 2:38pm

McDonald’s UK has announced its restaurants will be closed throughout the United Kingdom on Monday because of the queen’s funeral.

“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,” the fast-food giant announced Wednesday on Twitter. “Operating hours and services may vary after 5pm, so please check our app before travelling.”

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. pic.twitter.com/OOws3q8hnb

— McDonald’s UK (@McDonaldsUK) September 14, 2022

Not long after the tweet went out, someone posted a follow-up question, asking whether employees would be compensated for the unexpected lost workday.

The company responded with confirmation that they will be paid for their scheduled hours — as long as they work for company-owned locations.

are your employees still getting paid for their lost hours?

— Some guy (@totalnonsense6) September 14, 2022

ok. good.https://t.co/6Yew3E0Emj

— Some guy (@totalnonsense6) September 14, 2022

McDonald’s has about 1,300 outlets in the United Kingdom, according to the BBC.

The news outlet quoted a McDonald’s representative as saying the company decided to close the restaurants “to allow our people to pay their respects in the way they choose.”

The U.K.’s Sun said a bank holiday has been declared for Monday and numerous other businesses also planned to close, including Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Waitrose, Lidl, Asda and Tesco, as well as large supermarkets.

“However, smaller convenience stores will remain open, in part to ensure that the thousands of people expected to gather to watch the funeral will be able to buy water and food for the day,” the Sun reported. It will be up to individual pubs and restaurants whether to close or remain open, the report said.

Some food providers, including Domino’s Pizza, will adjust their hours to remain closed until after the funeral service ends at about noon, the BBC reported.

The funeral for the queen, who died Sept. 8, will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday starting at 11 a.m. British local time, or 6 a.m. ET, according to USA Today, which noted that Elizabeth’s “will be the first state funeral in the United Kingdom since [Winston] Churchill’s in 1965.”

“The queen will be buried in a special chapel beneath the floor of St. George’s with her parents, sister Princess Margaret, and husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. This ceremony will be private,” the report said.

U.K. and U.S. news outlets are expected to cover the event extensively.

USA Today said the funeral is expected to be the most-watched broadcast ever, with more than 4 billion viewers tuned in.

Submit a Correction →