McDonalds and re-opening inside

[Alpha8472]

Walnut Creek, California banned drive thru restaurants in the downtown area. The city wanted to discourage fast fast food and encourage expensive high class sit down restaurants. McDonald's closed down their longtime classic looking McDonald's due to low sales since they had no drive thru. It sat abandoned for years. It was a blight. It was recently bulldozed to build high rise condominiums.

[storewanderer]

Walnut Creek, California banned drive thru restaurants in the downtown area. The city wanted to discourage fast fast food and encourage expensive high class sit down restaurants. McDonald's closed down their longtime classic looking McDonald's due to low sales since they had no drive thru. It sat abandoned for years. It was a blight. It was recently bulldozed to build high rise condominiums.

There is still a McDonalds in Downtown Reno. Over the years there are constant threats that its block will be redeveloped but so far that has never happened. McDonald's does not spend a cent on the interior given the uncertainty over how long it will stay there. It is not the best spot, but serves a purpose downtown.

In the 80's downtown Reno had a (large) Burger King and a small Wendy's too but both closed by the mid 90's.

[BillyGr]

Walnut Creek, California banned drive thru restaurants in the downtown area. The city wanted to discourage fast fast food and encourage expensive high class sit down restaurants. McDonald's closed down their longtime classic looking McDonald's due to low sales since they had no drive thru. It sat abandoned for years. It was a blight. It was recently bulldozed to build high rise condominiums.

Although there have been McDonalds locations in cities like NYC without drive thru (save that one at 125th Street that somehow got transplanted directly from some small town, save that it only has a handful of parking spots) and those have been around for quite some time.

Although they did have that issue years ago with a certain location on Lexington that the community didn't want (and turned out to be a small office building instead of a restaurant), being the community thought a place like that to be too low class, so perhaps that's the same here (even though they didn't stop it's construction, they stopped it by not going there, leading to it closing down).

[SamSpade]

McDonalds is moving back on reopening interior dining areas, although I assume this applies only to their corporately owned locations. Franchisees are allowed to follow local statutes and guidelines.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mcdonalds- ... -19-cases/

The company also urged restaurants that have already resumed indoor service to "carefully review" state guidance that might require them to return to only drive-through, delivery or take-out service.

[Alpha8472]

San Francisco Bay Area McDonald's workers sued McDonald's because many of them caught COVID-19 due to McDonald's original policy of no masks.

Having even one unmasked customer with COVID-19 eating inside the restaurant could spread it to the employees especially if the customer lingers inside the restaurant for a long time. The people inside keep breathing in the stale air over and over.

[BillyGr]

San Francisco Bay Area McDonald's workers sued McDonald's because many of them caught COVID-19 due to McDonald's original policy of no masks.

Having even one unmasked customer with COVID-19 eating inside the restaurant could spread it to the employees especially if the customer lingers inside the restaurant for a long time. The people inside keep breathing in the stale air over and over.

Naturally they wouldn't be wearing a mask when eating - that would be impossible!

The rules (at least for NY where they've allowed it) is you can remove them once seated and only put them back on when standing (going to a restroom or leaving for instance).

[storewanderer]

Some McDonalds in my area in NV had re-opened their insides. They closed them again this week.

[jamcool]

Then if you are removing them when you sit down to eat and put them back on when you stand, what good does it do? What about cross contamination?

[storewanderer]

Then if you are removing them when you sit down to eat and put them back on when you stand, what good does it do? What about cross contamination?

That is a very good question.

It is a big part of why I have not yet gone to any restaurants for dine in, and been very hesitant to go for "to go" either.

[BillyGr]

Then if you are removing them when you sit down to eat and put them back on when you stand, what good does it do? What about cross contamination?

That is a very good question.

It is a big part of why I have not yet gone to any restaurants for dine in, and been very hesitant to go for "to go" either.

The idea (or at least it seems) is that once seated, the tables being used are at least 6 feet separated. Thus, you won't transmit anything to others at other tables.

When you are walking in or out (or to the bathroom), you are likely to pass closer than the 6 feet to other tables, so then you wear the mask to protect people as you can't be properly distant.

Not sure where the contamination issue comes in - after all, most people take them off and on in their cars anyway (not leaving them on from the time they leave home until they return), so this isn't really any different?
You could always use a squirt of sanitizing material before touching anything else after removing it, if that was a concern.