A customer walks in a McDonald's restaurant, in London, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. McDonald’s says it has pulled milkshakes from the menu in all 1,250 of its British restaurants because of supply problems stemming from a shortage of truck drivers. The fast-food chain says it is also experiencing shortages of bottled drinks. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
McDonald’s says it has pulled milkshakes from the menu in all 1,250 of its British restaurants because of supply problems stemming from a shortage of truck drivers.
The fast-food chain says it is also experiencing shortages of bottled drinks.
“Like most retailers, we are currently experiencing some supply chain issues, impacting the availability of a small number of products,” McDonald’s said in a statement Tuesday. “Bottled drinks and milkshakes are temporarily unavailable in restaurants across England, Scotland and Wales.”
It said it was “working hard to return these items to the menu.”
It is the latest in a series of shortages to parts and products in Britain blamed on a combination of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. Britain’s exit from the European Union at the end of last year has made it harder for the bloc’s citizens to work in the U.K., and businesses have also been hit by large numbers of employees having to self-isolate because of possible exposure to the virus.
Industry body the Road Haulage Association says pandemic restrictions over the past 18 months have delayed many new recruits taking their driving tests. The group says Britain is short about 100,000 drivers, from a pre-pandemic total of 600,000.
Last week, chicken chain Nando’s temporarily shut about 50 outlets because of a shortage of poultry. KFC also warned recently that supply chain issues meant it was unable to stock some menu items.
Supermarkets have also reported problems getting some products onto shelves.
The U.K. government has temporarily eased restrictions on the number of hours drivers can work in an attempt to improve the situation.
Green tech investments had a stellar 2021 amid a wave of SPAC mergers and massive valuations. But that momentum seems to be slowing down as investors turn to safer companies amid tightening monetary policy and skepticism about profitability and reliability amid SEC investigations. What happens next for this next-generation group of startups? Sophie Karp, an equity research analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets, joins Closing Bell to discuss.
In late January, NFT company Candy Digital cashed in when a Shohei Ohtani Icon NFT sold for $100,000, breaking the six-figure sale price mark for MLB NFTs for the first time. Scott Lawin, CEO of Candy Digital, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why his company is very excited about the future of digital collectibles and how the Ohtani NFT sale shows consumer confidence in the marketplace.
Sēkr, a mobile app that aims to improve and digitize the outdoor travel experience, announced this week that it raised a $2.25 million seed round. In the Sēkr app, users can get access to more than 50,000 campsites throughout the U.S. including the nation's largest database of free campsites. The company is saying it is on a mission to make every step of the planning experience for outdoor travel easier, safer, and more social. Breanne Acio, co-founder and CEO of Sēkr, and Jess Shisler, co-founder and COO, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
