McDonald's restaurants in the UK are shutting down for the Queen's funeral
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- McDonald's is shutting its UK restaurants for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
- It has just under 1,400 restaurants across the UK, which it says will reopen at 5 p.m. on Monday.
- Other British businesses also announced plans to close during the funeral.
McDonald's is closing its UK restaurants for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
The fast-food giant announced on Wednesday that the restaurants would shut down from midnight on Sunday until 5 p.m. on Monday.
—McDonald's UK (@McDonaldsUK) September 14, 2022
McDonald's said this would allow staff "to pay their respects" to the Queen.
It said that all staff at company-owned restaurants would be paid if they were scheduled to work on Monday. McDonald's has just under 1,400 UK restaurants in total.
Coffee chain Costa announced on Tuesday that it would be closing its company-owned stores on Monday "as a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II," but said that some franchise stores may remain open. It has close to 2,800 stores across the UK and Ireland.
British bakery chain Greggs, which sells sandwiches, coffee, and baked goods from a network of more than 2,000 stores, also said that it would close down on Monday. "A small number of our shops, operated by our franchise partners, may remain open," it said.
Numerous other businesses have announced plans to close Monday, including supermarkets, museums, and movie theaters. Center Parcs, which runs five vacation sites in the UK, said that it would close, meaning guests would have to leave their accommodation on Monday and find alternative lodging for that night, but the company has since backtracked on this decision.
The UK Government said businesses aren't obliged to close during the 10-day "national mourning" period between the Queen's death and her funeral.
"Depending on the nature and location of their business and the tone of planned events, some businesses may wish to consider closing or postponing events, especially on the day of the State Funeral, however this is at the discretion of individual businesses," it said in a guidance document.