New McDonald's restaurant opens as part of Weymouth Gateway Scheme

The new restaurant, as part of the Weymouth Gateway Scheme just off Mercery Road, has been officially opened and has so far created 120 new jobs for the area - with recruitment ongoing.

The new McDonald's was officially opened by Weymouth Town Mayor Ann Weaving at a ribbon-cutting ceremony following significant investment from local franchisee Chris Truscott, who owns and operates it.

Cllr Ann Weaving opens the new McDonald's

Mr Truscott said: "Our restaurant teams are proud of the positive role we play in the communities we serve and look forward to continuing to see local customers enjoy our services on offer."

Cllr Ann Weaving said: "It gives me immense pleasure to open this brand-new McDonald’s restaurant in Weymouth and is especially personal to me as I started my working life in McDonald’s first ever UK restaurant in Woolwich."

The restaurant was given the green light to provide 24-hour service in early May, after a licensing panel decided any noise will be deadened by three large commercial businesses between the restaurant and the distance between the premises and the nearest homes.

READ MORE: Green light for 24-hour service at new Weymouth Gateway McDonald's

With the addition of this restaurant, Mr Truscott has created more than 120 new full and part-time jobs for the community.

Recruitment for the new restaurant is still ongoing. He now owns four restaurants across Weymouth and Dorchester.

The new restaurant boasts all the latest innovations from McDonald’s, focused on improving and enhancing the restaurant experience for customers.

Table service is available and self-service kiosks mean visitors can order at a speed that suits them, while easily accessing nutritional information and making informed food choices. Smart Digital Drive-Thru menu boards have also been installed.

The new restaurant is part of the Weymouth Gateway Scheme, which will include three ‘big box’ retail warehouse units, two restaurants and coffee shops, which are currently being built on a brownfield site east of Mercery Road.

The undeveloped land, opposite the Aldi supermarket, will include outlets such as B&M, Dunelm, and a new Costa.

The retail development is set to create hundreds of jobs and provide a major boost to Weymouth’s economy, while expected to generate between £5 million to £6 million in business rates every year.

The restaurant is open to the public from today (May 18) for dine-in, takeaway and drive-thru.