McDonalds reportedly sent franchisees a 59-page guide for reopening dining rooms

A person wears a protective face mask outside McDonald’s in Union Square during the coronavirus pandemic on April 30, 2020 in New York City.

Noam Galai | Getty Images

McDonald’s sent U.S. franchisees a 59-page guide to reopening dining rooms that asks them to make dozens of changes to their restaurants, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The fast-food giant is asking operators to enforce social distancing, clean bathrooms every half-hour and turn off soda fountains if they aren’t able to assign an employee to operate them, according to the newspaper.

States across the country are allowing restaurant dining rooms to reopen with limited capacity, despite concerns about a second wave of outbreaks. The pandemic has roiled the industry, although fast-food chains have weathered the crisis better, thanks to their drive-thru lanes and cheap prices. 

But the pandemic also revived tension between McDonald’s U.S. franchisees and the company’s management as operators sought more financial relief to offset the financial losses from social distancing measures. 

The guide from McDonald’s recommends franchisees purchase products like a $718 touchless sink, the Journal reported.

McDonald’s said Wednesday it would be chipping in about $100 million to marketing funds pooled by U.S. franchisees. The company is also planning to to dole out “targeted financial assistance” to the franchisees hardest hit by the coronavirus.

Chick-fil-A and Burger King’s parent company Restaurant Brands International have shared changes coming to their restaurants, like plexiglass partitions at front counters, as they gradually reopen for dine-in service.

A representative for McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.

Read more about McDonald’s instructions for reopening dining rooms here.