Costa Coffee has reopened 97 stores this week which means there are now 316 branches open across the UK. Customers will be able to get their caffeine hit from drive-thru, delivery and takeaway menus. However, big changes have been made to how the stores run.

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Like many retailers, Costa temporarily closed all of its 2,700 branches to help encourage social distancing measures.

In a statement made in March, chief executive of Costa Jill McDonald said: “I want to take this opportunity to thank our store teams, who during a lot of uncertainty over the past few weeks have continued to provide a warm and welcoming environment, and great service to our loyal customers.”

Earlier this month, many coffee fans were delighted as stores started to open their doors again.

Last week, 75 lanes opened for delivery and they announced more branches would continue to open.

A message this week confirmed that more restaurants are now operating across the country.

A post on Costa Coffee Twitter reads: “We’re opening a further 97 stores today including 58 Drive-Thru, and 39 trialing Takeaway only, taking the total amount of stores open to 316.”

The branches will be open for takeaway, drive-thru or delivery via Uber Eats.

Locations in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Plymouth, Cardiff and Birmingham are among those open.

Customers can check online to see if their local store has opened and if they are operating as drive-thru, takeaway or delivery.

While many Britons will be able to get their coffee fix, the retailer has made big changes to how operations run.

Those visiting will need to follow new social distancing rules that have been put in place to help the safety of customers and staff.

The Costa website said: “As we re-open our stores we’re putting into place responsible new steps and measures to make sure our teams and customers can operate in a safe environment.”

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New hygiene measures include hand sanitiser stations and staff are asked to wash their hands at least once every 30 minutes.

Only contactless payments will be accepted and the retailer will not accept reusable cups for the time being.

There are also new rules customers must follow depending on how they are making an order.

Takeaway orders

The website said: “You’ll need to look out for and follow these floor signs, both inside and outside of the store to ensure social distancing.

“You’ll be called up to the counter to order one customer at a time and our team will greet you from behind a newly installed Perspex screen. Your order can be collected from the counter.”

Collection orders

It states: “Once you’ve placed your order through the Costa Coffee app you’ll need to look out for and follow these floor signs to the Collection Point when inside the store. Please also make sure to follow the signs outside the store if you need to queue before entering.

“A barista will then call your order number when it’s ready and invite you to approach the counter to safely collect it.”

Drive-Thru orders

The Costa website said: “Our Drive-Thru lanes are open as usual. To support with social distancing, you’ll notice we’ve installed a new extendable shelf, that enables our baristas to pass you your order with minimal to no contact.

“Our Drive-Thru stores currently remain shut for takeaway and eat-in customers. Keep an eye on our website and social pages for updates as to when they re-open.”

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