Attention all fast-food lovers: the first McDonald’s drive-through restaurant in Inverness is about to open.
The golden arches and accompanying signage have already been fixed to the new building’s exterior at the city’s Inshes Retail Park – and the opening date has been confirmed as Wednesday, October 5.
It will be the fast food giant’s second branch in Inverness, with an existing premises without a drive-through already sited in the city centre.
The new restaurant is part of a wider scheme – understood to include two other retail units – being developed by Edinburgh-based Corran Properties. The company has previously claimed that the whole development would create 140 jobs.
Proposals were approved by planning officials under delegated powers in May last year.
Work has since taken place at the site beside Bannatyne’s Health Club, and yesterday a number of workers could be seen paving out the drive-through lane circling the new building.
Inverness South councillor Ken Gowans said: “I am very pleased to see it going up. I think Inshes Retail Park over the last number of years has really come into its own. It’s increasingly popular and this final phase of development will be welcomed in the community.
“I am sure it will prove very popular for families and will be very convenient and popular with commuters.
“The opening date was meant to be October and I am pleased to see that it is opening on schedule.”
The new restaurant will have new digital, touch screen kiosks, and customers will be able to decide whether to collect their food at the counter, or have it delivered straight to their table by a staff member.
The number of full and part time staff to be employed at the new premises is unknown at this stage.
The table service concept was recently introduced at a new drive-through restaurant at Kittybrewster Retail Park in Aberdeen, the first of its kind in the Granite City.
The fast food chain is rolling out table service at its restaurants.
Across the UK, McDonald’s aims to increase its headcount by 5,000 by the end of the year. The current total exceeds 110,000.