No Shirt, No Shoes — No Mask — No Service: New Mask Rules At McDonald’s Starting August 1
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McDonald’s is the latest national chain to require face masks at all their U.S. locations, announcing the change in a press release on Friday.
Calling the coronavirus pandemic a “public health crisis,” the release said the company was taking action “to protect the safety of our employees and customers,” noting that “nearly 82%” of their restaurants were already in areas where state law or local ordinance required employees and customers to wear masks.
Starting August 1, all customers entering a McDonald’s restaurant will be asked to wear a face covering. The fast food chain joins other companies like Target, CVS, and Walmart in requiring masks.
Clearly aware of incidents at other stores and restaurants where tensions over mask disputes have escalated into confrontations, McDonald’s said that they would be providing training for their employees in “de-escalation” techniques:
The intent of this policy is to take a proactive approach and focus on quickly finding solutions when customers are unable or unwilling to wear a face covering. In those situations where a customer declines to wear a face covering, we’ll put in place additional procedures to take care of them in a friendly, expedited way. Additionally, we will provide training for our restaurant staff to ensure they are prepared to address this new policy in a friendly and positive way. We also will re-share resources for our and our franchisees’ employees who want to revisit de-escalation training.
McDonald’s is also adding additional protective divider panels and other barriers to shield customers and employees, and holding off reopening any more dining rooms for at least another 30 days, pending local ordinances.
