Coffee and restaurant chain eager to welcome back customers

May 13, 2020, Toronto, Ont. – Jose Cil, CEO of Restaurant Brands International (RBI), has written an open letter to the public and company employees, outlining what the chain has done to protect staff during the COVID-19 crisis and noting that it is eager to welcome back customers.

“After eight long weeks, most of us in North America are now shifting our mindset from crisis mode to recovery mode,” he stated. “Governments and health authorities are releasing reopening plans for our communities. And everyone is feeling the responsibility of getting it right as the world reopens for business.

“With almost 15,000 restaurant locations across North America, team members and restaurant owners at Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes have done an incredible job in operating drive-thru, delivery and mobile channels efficiently and safely throughout this crisis. We are now moving into the next phase of reopening dining rooms according to guidance from local authorities and will be welcoming back millions of guests to dine-in at our convenient locations.”

RBI believes in the power of creativity and diversity of perspectives which means finding ways to do things differently to make them better, and believes in being hard-working, good people, stated Cil, and, to that end, the company’ corporate teams and restaurant owners have contributed millions of dollars to help those impacted by COVID-19.

He said RBI has fully embraced the notion that parts of its restaurants need to change – certainly, for the foreseeable future and possibly forever. For instance, while RBI has mandated masks and gloves in the short-term, the brand and operations teams is now evaluating more comfortable and reusable masks that may become part of its standard uniforms.

The company has also rapidly scaled its digital capabilities, including adding hundreds of new restaurants onto delivery apps and improving its drive-thru experience, expanding mobile order and pay and curbside pick-up options so that the facilities are both quick and increasingly contactless.

Cil said the chain is working very hard to continue to build confidence in the measures it is taking to keep customers safe in the restaurants.

“We have acrylic shields and contactless service at most of our restaurants. We are maintaining a safe distance rule in our dining rooms – whether communities require it or not. We have designed beautiful tabletop signage to indicate which tables are open and which ones are reserved to help maintain safe distances.”

The company will be sanitizing tables and chairs after each use and will have hand sanitizer available in the dining room for guests, among other things.

Team members worldwide, meanwhile, are participating in thorough, rigorous training to ensure that health and safety protocols are well-known and implemented.

“I am very proud of everyone in the Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes families for your hard work, and your positive, responsible approach through the crisis and now into phases of recovery,” stated Cil. “I believe we have the right balance between implementing essential procedures for the here and now, as well as pursuing our long-term vision of building the most loved restaurant brands in the world.”