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Hello everyone,
It was just a week ago that I sent my last message, and since then it certainly feels like the world has changed once again. These are uncertain times, but I’m encouraged to see everyone coming together to follow the measures put in place by our respective governments and public health authorities. Truly, the only way through this situation is to work together as one.
At McDonald’s Canada, protecting the health and well-being of our people and our guests has been our number one priority throughout this crisis. It has guided every decision we’ve made as the situation evolved. It is with this in mind that I want to let all our valued guests know of an important announcement.
Closure of Take-Out Service
As of March 22nd, we will no longer be offering take-out service in our restaurants. This means our dining rooms will now be completely closed. In addition, we will also stop offering curbside pickup. However, Drive-thru and McDelivery service will still be available for those seeking convenient and affordable food options while they practice social distancing.
Select restaurants may continue to offer take-out service in communities where there are specific needs, including locations near hospitals and healthcare facilities. We are working closely with our franchisees to identify these locations.
This was by no means an easy decision. As we assessed guidance from governments and health authorities and listened to the concerns of our franchisees and restaurant crew, we felt it was important to take action.
We know there are people in our communities without a car to access Drive-thru, and not everyone can access McDelivery, which is why we provided take-out service for as long as we could. Please understand that this change was made for the continued safety of our employees and guests across the country.
Ongoing efforts for our Crew and our communities
You should also know that we have additional measures in place to protect our employees working to fulfil Drive-thru and McDelivery orders. McDonald’s has always maintained the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness in our restaurants. In the past two weeks we have introduced enhanced procedures that take those standards even further. In addition, we have also introduced social distancing guidelines for our employees to put in place while they work.
We have worked closely with our delivery partners, UberEats and Skip The Dishes, to take precautionary measures for the safe delivery of your food. McDelivery bags are securely sealed and drivers are trained on best practices to get your food to you quickly and safely.
As we reduce service in our restaurants, we also want to make sure that no food goes to waste. With this in mind, we are working with our Distribution Centres and suppliers to make food donations to local organizations, ensuring we continue to support communities across Canada.
We are in this together
In closing, let me say again: we are in this together. I know that you will all understand and appreciate the measures we are taking to protect our employees, and all of you, as we navigate this situation.
Please keep yourselves and your families safe. Thank you for making us part of your every day, and we look forward to serving you soon.
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John E. Betts,
President and CEO
McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
KFC Canada:
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To our Canadian community,
You’re likely following the news related to COVID-19 and, like you, we’re learning each day as we continue
to monitor this ever-changing situation. As we navigate this uncharted territory, it’s the small things that
help us feel connected — including enjoying your favourite meal. That’s why the health and safety of our
guests, teams and communities will always remain our top priority.
Going Contactless
All Canadian restaurants are moving to contactless operations, to be in full effect from March 19, 2020
onwards. We will be enforcing social distancing practices in all our service touchpoints.
Contactless service will extend to our delivery business automatically. Guests will not have to select
“contactless” to receive this service when ordering.
Social Distancing Is Everyone's Priority
All our restaurants across Canada are acting in accordance with the recommendations of the Federal,
Provincial and Municipal governments and health officials as a minimum standard. This includes the following
measures:
- Full closure of our dining rooms or reduced seating options where applicable.
- Restaurants will continue to serve take-out, drive-thru and delivery and we encourage our guests to
order ahead or order delivery on KFC.ca.
Extra Measures to Keep Everything Clean
We will continue to reinforce our already strict sanitation, handwashing and health and wellness policies
for our team members. We have also employed additional sanitization and cleaning standards and protocols in
our restaurants, particularly on all high-touch areas.
One Community Effort
In times like these, we believe taking action and coming together as a community is more important than
ever. With more than 600 restaurants in Canada and thousands more in over 140 countries and territories
across the globe, we are continuing to learn from our partners around the world and will continue to make
decisions based on the well-being of our teams and communities.
Thank you for letting the Colonel cook for your families for nearly 65 years. In times like these, we appreciate the loyalty and support of our customers.
Nivera Wallani
President and General Manager, KFC Canada
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Boston Pizza:
Doing our part to respond to COVID-19
To all our Guests,
Since 1964 when our first restaurant opened in Edmonton to today with nearly 400 locally owned locations from coast to coast to coast, Boston Pizza is and always has been a Canadian company serving food all Canadians love.
The last few days and weeks have brought a lot of change. Since the outset of the COVID-19 situation, Boston Pizza has aligned its operating policies and procedures to carefully follow and reflect the most current direction and mandates of governments and public health authorities across Canada.
With the Prime Minister now calling for Canadians to “Stay home and order Take Out” Boston Pizza dining rooms & sports bars will all be closed to dine-in guests as of March 18th until further notice, while most of our kitchens will remain open in support of Take Out and Delivery across the country - where possible.
As Canada’s largest casual restaurant chain we have a part to play in helping get through this global health crisis by acting responsibly. By closing to dine-in guests we are doing our part to help reduce the occurrence of larger group gatherings, in line with Public Health Authority guidance. By continuing to offer Take Out and Delivery we are doing our part, as urged by government, to maintain at-home meal options for Canadians during these restricted times. And by leveraging our involvement with industry and governmental groups we are doing our part to help them understand the support needed right now for the vast number of small business owners and workers across Canada, like Boston Pizza’s many Franchisees and their approximately 25,000 restaurant staff.
To help protect the health, safety and peace of mind of our kitchen staff, delivery drivers and dine-at-home guests we have implemented a number of new measures including:
- Increased cleaning & sanitizing procedures in our kitchens
- Increased cleaning & sanitizing protocols for our delivery drivers and their order hand-off & payment processing procedures at the Guest’s door
- Introduction of Curb-Side pick-up at our restaurants for all Take Out orders, so guests don’t have to leave their vehicle
- Offering 15% Off orders that are picked-up to encourage Take Out over Delivery because it’s simply a smarter choice for everyone involved right now
These are unusual times indeed, which require each of us to adapt our conduct every day. Boston Pizza is adapting our operations to minimize risk where we can while continuing to provide Canadians with dine at home options more aligned to the current needs of our guests and communities. When life returns more to normal we look forward to welcoming guests back again to our dining rooms and sports bars. Until then, our pizza ovens are on in many locations and we’re ready to keep serving Canadians food they love – at home.
Jim Treliving
Chairman
Boston Pizza International
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