FAST food chain McDonald's is carrying out tests behind closed doors in preparation for the reopening of some of its sites.
But it may be some time yet before customers in Northern Ireland will be queueing for a Big Mac or Happy Meal.
Just one restaurant at an unnamed London location has been chosen for the trials, according to the company, which in the UK has sales of around £1.7 billion and last year made a profit of close to £350 million.
The chain's UK and Ireland chief executive Paul Pomroy said he was exploring social distancing measures and PPE options for its crew, and opening in a limited capacity, but admitted restarting the business "is not an easy task".
He said: "We have set ourselves some key criteria for reopening, all of which take time - first and foremost ensuring the wellbeing of our people and creating the right environment for them to return to work; secondly ensuring we have enough supply of fresh produce; and finally working in-step with Government guidelines to ensure the safety of our customers.
"For now we remain closed, and will only reopen when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone's wellbeing."
McDonald's - which has 30 restaurants in Northern Ireland, run by seven franchisees and employing 2,500 staff - would not put a time scale on when it might reopen.
"We will only do so when the time is right, and will keep the public informed all the way along the line," a spokesman told the Irish News.
Ahead of lockdown measures being introduced in March, it closed all its restaurants for sit-in customers, and then shut its drive-through days later.
McDonald's also has 90 restaurants in the Republic, operated by 22 franchisees and employing 6,000 staff.
