Hungry shoppers have descended on a new McDonald's restaurant that opened on London Road in Whitley Coventry this morning. Diners told CoventryLive they were 'delighted' with the opening - and said it would be good for jobs and a boost for the local community.
One customer, Exauce, 19, said she has already applied for a new job at the new McDonald's and thinks it will help people stay local to the area. ''I live five minutes away from here, and I have always struggled to find a McDonald's.
"The one we had was in Binley so having another one here is so easy. I think this new McDonald's will help people to stay local rather than go into the town and find different places.
READ MORE: New McDonald's opening in Coventry today
"I have applied for a job here as well, so that's good - it will give people more jobs''. Another customer, Gemma, was sitting with her young daughter and husband and said she had been 'warmly welcomed'.
''We just popped to Asda to pick up a couple of things and grab some lunch afterwards. It’s very nice here.
"We have been so warmly welcomed and the staff made sure the tables were clean when we sat down and they made a point of bringing some coloured pencils for my daughter and she’s been very happy. I think this will bring something very good to the community as there are not many places to eat within a 5 -10 minute drive so it’s really good''.
A young girl named Ameera told CoventryLive: "I feel that this new McDonald’s is really convenient as it’s only a 10-minute walk away and when you are coming over to Asda and see a McDonald’s, it’s a really good feeling! Before I had to travel to Willenhall, now I only need to walk and I really love this McDonald’s it’s so useful.
"I’m going to be applying for a job here and it’s definitely going to help the community in some way, especially the Whitley community. It’s very convenient.''
Customers started entering the restaurant at around 11am. A lot of young people were sitting with friends socialising.
Around 100 people will be able to dine at the new restaurant at any one time. It will also have a 30-space car park and around 120 new jobs will be created in the neighbourhood.
Concerns over what was for some a controversial development led to plans initially being rejected by Coventry City Council. A number of residents feared a 'cumulative effect' from the new fast-food restaurant and other developments in London Road, which include a new recycling facility - meaning it could put more pressure on local roads.
But franchisee John Kiely, who will be running the new restaurant on London Road, says it's a win-win for the area. With the addition of this branch, the local businessman now owns seven restaurants in Coventry.
John said: "It was really exciting for my staff because it is a brand-new store so some of them would have seen it for the first time this morning, when they walked in to see the smiles on their faces in terms of what we built for them and how it looks and the facilities. Customers have been queuing up or waiting to come in and braving this weather. As you can see, there is lots of snow around outside but they have been braving it and the feedback so far is fantastic."
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