McDonald’s has become the latest restaurant chain to be hit by supply chain shortages, with no milkshakes or bottled beverages currently available at any of its UK outlets.
The fast food chain, which operates around 1,250 restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales, had to stop providing the drinks this week but said it was “working hard to get these items back on the menu as soon as possible”.
The problems are believed to be caused by a shortage of truck drivers.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s said The independent: “Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products. Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable at restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales.
“We apologize for any inconvenience and thank our customers for their continued patience. We are working hard to get these items back on the menu as soon as possible.”
A dedicated customer said on social media Monday: “I just went to McDonalds – they don’t have milkshakes and the soft drinks ‘could be flat’. What’s going on nn ?! “
Another wrote: “McDonald’s you are no longer making bagels or wraps for breakfast, now you are out of milkshakes, Tropicana or bottled water …”
According to Kate Nicholls, Managing Director of UKHospitality, virtually all hotel companies are currently experiencing problems in their supply chains.
“Suppliers and hospitality companies face enormous challenges for their supply chains and are working together to minimize the impact on consumers,” she said. The independent.
“Our numbers show that 94% of hospitality businesses are having issues, with around two-thirds of them stating that certain merchandise just doesn’t arrive, reducing the menu they can offer customers and seriously compromising sales. . ”
This week, lobby groups in the retail and transport sectors wrote to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, warning that the shortage of truck drivers in the UK could cause serious problems for their supply chains .
The groups want a review of plans not to grant temporary work visas to EU drivers. Logistics UK, which represents freight companies, and the British Retail Consortium, said a shortage of around 90,000 truck drivers “is putting increasingly unsustainable pressure on retailers and their supply chains” .
They added: “While there was a shortage of heavy truck drivers before the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, these two events made the situation worse. The pandemic halted driver training and driving tests for more than 12 months, while around 25,000 EU drivers returned home during the pandemic and after the end of the transition period. “
Speaking on the shortage, Helen Dickinson, managing director of the British Retail Consortium, said: Training for heavy truck drivers can be funded.
Last week, Nando’s was forced to temporarily close some 50 restaurants after suffering from a chicken shortage.
Nick Allen, Managing Director of the British Meat Processors Association, said The independent last week that the peri-peri chicken machine problems were just “the tip of the iceberg.” He said: “I think we’ll see more and more [closures]”, adding:” It’s certainly Brexit related, but it’s also the immigration decisions our politicians are making since Brexit. “
A government spokesperson said on Friday that “we recently announced a package of measures to help tackle the shortage of heavy truck drivers, including plans to streamline the process for new drivers to obtain their licenses. heavy goods vehicles and to increase the number of tests that can be performed, ”according to the BBC.
“We have also temporarily relaxed the rules on driver schedules to allow truck drivers to make slightly longer journeys, but these should only be used when needed and should not compromise safety. drivers. “
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Source: www.independent.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-08-23 17:50:35
