STAFF at McDonalds were given a helping hand flipping burgers as they were visited by MEP for South West England and Gibraltar Julie Girling.

Local franchisee Paul Booth gave her a guided tour of his Cockleberry Roundabout restaurant last week, from the dining room to the kitchen, and she also met some of his 83 employees working at this restaurant.

Julie said she was impressed by the quality of the restaurant and how it was run.

She said: “It was fantastic to meet Paul and his staff at Swindon.

“It was really interesting to see first-hand how a restaurant franchise like this is run and how they are empowering their staff through training programmes and apprenticeships.”

Paul Booth, who owns eight McDonald’s restaurants across Swindon and Cirencester, is hoping to open the restaurant on Great Western Way 24 hours a day.

He said: “It was a great opportunity for my staff and I to meet a local European representative, and for Julie to see just how hard we work to ensure our customers get the best service possible every day.

“As a franchised restaurant, we are essentially a local business, and I very much hope Julie left knowing a lot more about our operation and the many changes we have introduced in recent years to our menu, and re-imaged restaurants.”