I waited an hour in traffic for McDonald’s and it was worth it just to have a sense of normality back

I waited an hour in traffic just for a McDonald’s and I believe it was worth every minute just to have some sense of normality back.
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Being a journalist, no one day is the same and it can be a bit of a lottery of what I could be covering on a day-to-day basis.

So when I was asked to head to a McDonald’s restaurant to order a meal and eat it, I jumped at the chance.

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I choose to go to the branch on North Moor Road in Farringdon, Sunderland and joined the back of the queue on Durham Road at 1.08pm.

I waited an hour in traffic for a McDonald's and it was worth every minute.I waited an hour in traffic for a McDonald's and it was worth every minute.
I waited an hour in traffic for a McDonald's and it was worth every minute.
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Exactly half-an-hour later I was driving past the Co-op store and at 1.50pm, I finally entered the car park.

Once there, the queue began to move a lot quicker, I had placed my order by 1.58pm and was leaving the drive-thru at 2.08pm – exactly an hour after joining the queue.

Before joining, I spoke with other members of the public who were already waiting in the queue about their experience.

“I’d say it was worth the wait, even just for the sense of normality after what has been a long few months.”“I’d say it was worth the wait, even just for the sense of normality after what has been a long few months.”
“I’d say it was worth the wait, even just for the sense of normality after what has been a long few months.”
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Tegan Whitfield had joined the queue to pick up her lunch. She said: “I’m absolutely starving and I’ve missed it a little bit during lockdown.”

Shani Hind agreed that it helped things seem normal. She said:“I’ve missed it during lockdown, can’t wait to get a double cheeseburger.

“It definitely brings back some normality after being in lockdown for weeks.”

Andrew Lasanby stuck out the queues to win Dad points. He said: “The bairn wants a McDonalds, he’s been dying for one for about three months now.

Tegan Whitfield in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue.Tegan Whitfield in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue.
Tegan Whitfield in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue.
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“It definitely brings some normality back, I actually don’t mind queuing for it.”

From my own experience everyone seemed to be in great spirits, from the security staff marshalling the traffic to the team working in the restaurant and even the passers by.

And after eating my Big Mac, and picking up some nuggets for my other half, I agree that it helped bring about some normality after what has been a strange few months.

Since lockdown began, my colleagues and I have all been working from home through some of the most challenging situations that we’ve faced – there has been nothing normal about it.

Shani Hind in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queueShani Hind in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue
Shani Hind in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue
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So people may criticise the food, or the people queuing for it, but in my opinion, it was worth the wait just for the sense of normality after a long few months.

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Andrew Lasanby in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queueAndrew Lasanby in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue
Andrew Lasanby in the North Moor Lane McDonald's queue

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