Photos: New McDonald’s opens its doors in Ilminster

Franchisee David Shawyer and his crew were joined by the Mayor of Ilminster, Cllr Leanne Taylor, who marked the official opening by cutting the ribbon.

The new 98-seated restaurant will create over 100 new full and part-time jobs for the community.

Cllr Leanne Taylor cutting the ribbon next to David Shawyer (Image: McDonald's)

The new Ilminster McDonald's opened this morning (September 20) (Image: Contributed)

The new recruits include 10 who have been onboarded on the Crew Trainer Programme and four trainee managers, exemplifying David Shawyer’s dedication to fostering career growth and development.

The new restaurant will showcase a two-story design, comprised of an upper-level kitchen and a lower-level dining space, with a contemporary aesthetic, thanks to the Luna décor scheme, both of which are features only a select few establishments in the country are offering.

David Shawyer, who now owns and operates five McDonald’s restaurants in Southwest England, said: “We are delighted to be opening another brand-new McDonald’s restaurant in the Southwest and can’t wait to see local customers, both new and old, enjoy our services on offer.

“People are at the heart of our business, and we look forward to welcoming new employees with the jobs our restaurant will create.

“We’re committed to investing in opportunities for a mix of all ages, life stages, and backgrounds, promoting flexibility and equality.”

Some of the key innovations that McDonald’s will be rolling out include:

• Front counter redesign will create specific areas for different sales channels, meaning more space for customers to enjoy their meal, less congestion around touchscreens, and shorter queues.

• New kitchen design: a bigger order assembly area, and dedicated areas to prepare dine-in orders, will help crew serve more quickly, efficiently, and accurately than ever before.

• Improved car park layout: will create Modified traffic routes that will improve circulation around the restaurant, so it is much easier for Drive-Thru and Click & Collect customers to get their order.

• Improve break spaces: redesigned crew rooms will create a more relaxing and comfortable space for crew to take a well-deserved break.

The restaurant will open for dine-in, takeaway, Drive-Thru, and Click & Serve. Opening hours will be 24 hours, seven days a week.