MCDONALD'S fans rushed to get their fix as a select few restaurants reopened after more than two months of closure.
Drive-thru restaurants in Darlington, Newton Aycliffe, West Auckland and Gateshead reopened with huge queues forming this morning.
The Northern Echo visited open locations across the region to see how people reacted as those Golden Arches lit up for the first time in months.
This was the scene at the Abraham Retail Park in West Auckland this morning as cars snaked their way into the drive-thru.
All restaurants are currently working from a reduced menu to keep staff safe and able to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
McDonald's said it has fewer employees in its kitchens to enable our teams to social distance and work safely.
To help ensure all customers are able to order, McDonald's has imposed a £25 spending cap per customer at all drive-thru locations.
It is also asking all staff to wear the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including face coverings while on duty.
In Newton Aycliffe, more than 60 cars turned up at McDonald's off the A167 just minutes after reopening at 11am.
The Northern Echo's Stacey-Lee Christon said she waited almost an hour to finally get served.
She said: "Everyone is in good spirits but there have been two run-ins that I’ve seen between drivers and the marshals.
“My 4-year-old son asked me why there were so many police officers here, there are three security officers/road marshals directing the traffic which is looped around the restaurant and backed out onto the road."
'Just happy to have a break from cooking'
“We got here just after 11am, so it’s taken 50 minutes from getting here to getting our food. The queue is only getting bigger though.
“There are no milkshakes on yet because of the limited menu which is a shame but I’m just happy to have a break from cooking."
Meanwhile, it was a similar picture down the A1 at Gateshead's metro retail park near the Metrocentre.
Queues continued to increase as motorists were directed onto the site in an orderly fashion.
The fast food chain has promised all Drive-Thru restaurants will reopen by the end of this week - but has kept specific opening times of further locations a secret.
At around 2.30pm, reports suggested that traffic had backed onto the A1 slip road as INRIX warned of slow and heavy traffic in the area.
Traffic cameras appeared to confirm the reports as the area around Pinetree Way remained congested throughout the afternoon.
A spokesperson for McDonald's UK said: "This week we will reopen Drive Thrus across the UK and Ireland, starting with 168 locations from 11am today.
"We will also see a further 22 restaurants open for McDelivery today.
"We are glad to be back but it will look a little different and may take a little longer, so please bear with us.
- We have fewer employees in our kitchens to enable our teams to social distance and work safely
- We will have a limited menu (no breakfast or Shakes for now) and will open for reduced hours (11am-10pm)
- We encourage you to use contactless payment methods and cap your spend at £25
- For those visiting our Drive Thrus, you can browse the menu, order and pay ahead using the My McDonald’s App - we’ll start preparing your order when you’re near the restaurant.
"We’re delighted to be returning to communities across the UK and Ireland, thank you for your continued support and patience. We look forward to seeing you soon."
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