FAQs
Some outdoor areas at Wimpy reopened today (12 April) to serve customers in groups of up to six people or two households.
At any premises serving alcohol, customers will be required to order, be served and eat and drink while seated (even if no alcohol is ordered). If a venue does not serve alcohol, then customers can order and collect food and drink from a counter but must consume food and drink while seated at a table.
Staff must wear face coverings in indoor areas, unless they are separated from customers by a screen or something similar. Face coverings do not need to be worn outdoors by staff or customers.
At any premises serving alcohol, customers will be required to order, be served and eat and drink while seated (even if no alcohol is ordered). If a venue does not serve alcohol, then customers can order and collect food and drink from a counter but must consume food and drink while seated at a table.
Staff must wear face coverings in indoor areas, unless they are separated from customers by a screen or something similar. Face coverings do not need to be worn outdoors by staff or customers.
Wimpy are now legally required to keep a record of all customers, visitors and staff over the age of 16 who have visited the premises for 21 days for Test and Trace purposes – not just lead bookers. They must also take "reasonable steps" to refuse entry to those who refuse to check in or provide contact details and customer details must be taken before an order is made. Venues will not have to ask customers for Covid status certification.
For more information about recording customer details, please see the FAQ titled ‘How is my information used for the purposes of Test and Trace?’ at the bottom of this page.
For more information about recording customer details, please see the FAQ titled ‘How is my information used for the purposes of Test and Trace?’ at the bottom of this page.
Customers are allowed indoors to use toilets or baby changing facilities.
Guests must wear face coverings inside, but staff are not responsible for enforcing this law, while payment should be taken at the table or outdoors where possible. If it's not possible, payment can be taken indoors, where the customer should wear a face covering unless exempt.
Only one customer should be indoors at any time for the purpose of making payment, and businesses should operate a tab system to ensure customers do not need to make multiple indoor payments during their time at the venue.
Guests must wear face coverings inside, but staff are not responsible for enforcing this law, while payment should be taken at the table or outdoors where possible. If it's not possible, payment can be taken indoors, where the customer should wear a face covering unless exempt.
Only one customer should be indoors at any time for the purpose of making payment, and businesses should operate a tab system to ensure customers do not need to make multiple indoor payments during their time at the venue.
Some Wimpy restaurants may be operating a reduced menu and/or have restrictions in place in accordance with Government guidelines. We apologise for any inconvenience during this time. Please check with your local Wimpy before travelling to avoid disappointment by using the 'Find Your Wimpy' locater function on our website.
New regulations require all Wimpy customers to wear a face mask or appropriate face covering whilst inside our restaurant, unless seated for the purpose of eating or drinking. If you are visiting our restaurant to collect or place an order for Takeaway, please ensure a face covering is always worn.
Only customers that state they are medically exempt from wearing a face mask will be admitted without a suitable covering. Please also note that face masks can be removed should a customer request it so that they can communicate better. This can be especially helpful when dealing with someone who must lip-read to communicate. When this is required, social distancing of 2m must be observed.
Only customers that state they are medically exempt from wearing a face mask will be admitted without a suitable covering. Please also note that face masks can be removed should a customer request it so that they can communicate better. This can be especially helpful when dealing with someone who must lip-read to communicate. When this is required, social distancing of 2m must be observed.
All customers must maintain a safe distance in accordance with Government guidelines, thus limiting the number of customers we can let into our restaurant at a time, depending on the floor space. In addition, regulations prevent our restaurants from serving groups larger than six people. Please be patient and respect other customers. The restaurant reserves the right of admission only to customers who fully comply with all the safety protocols as per Government and restaurant regulations.
Yes. In addition, sanitising hand dispensers are available for drivers, staff and customers. Restaurants display posters promoting regular handwashing and sanitising. Staff also have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water at 15-minute intervals.
All restaurant staff are required to wear a face mask or an appropriate face covering, unless seated for the purpose of eating or drinking.
All team members have been trained in the range of operational changes and protective measures that we have implemented across our restaurant estate. All restaurants have hand sanitiser dispensers for customers and drivers to use during their visit. Perspex screens are also being fitted to counters where transactions take place. We also encourage contactless card payment at all our restaurants. We have introduced capacity limits and all restaurants have social distance floor stickers showing customers where to safely wait whilst queuing. There are also designated waiting and pick up zones clearly marked. Washroom facilities, where open, are limited to one person at a time and are sanitised frequently.
All kitchen surfaces are washed and sanitised before each shift and every hour during service. All kitchen staff thoroughly wash their hands at 15-minute intervals. During service, utensils and chopping boards are sanitised after every use and washed at high temperature every hour. Social distancing measures are in place if more than one person not from the same household is in the kitchen area and maintain a safe distance between back of house and front of house staff. All orders leave the kitchen in sealed bags – our Wimpy sticker on your bag shows it has not been tampered with and is safe.
Contact-free delivery service allows customers and riders to request in the app that food is left safely on the doorstep. We are working closely with delivery partners to ensure that any risk to their drivers, and to our customers, is kept to an absolute minimum. All Wimpy restaurants practice contact-free handover and social distancing, by creating separate hand-off and waiting areas. All orders leave the kitchen in sealed bags – our Wimpy sticker on your bag shows it has not been tampered with and is safe. We are limiting the number of riders waiting inside the store at any time and provide an area for them to wash/sanitise hands and sanitise their rider kit.
A process where customers can order their meal in-store over the counter to take away. The customer is to stand in queue at allocated social distance floor markings. The customer will place their order over the counter with the cashier, make payment, then wait in the allocated waiting area. When the meal is ready, a team member will bring the meal on a tray to the customer in the waiting area, maintaining a safe distance and no physical contact.
A process where customers place their order by phone to pick up at the restaurant. Customers who ordered for collection will join the takeaway queue to reach the counter to make payment for their order if they have not already paid over the phone. The customer will either be allowed to enter the restaurant for collection, have a team member bring their order to them or alternatively pick up their order from a dedicated collection area/table.
A nutritional booklet is available in all Wimpy restaurants, so please ask your server for a copy. This provides the full nutritional information for each menu item, as well as listing the presence of any allergens. In addition, we also publish an Ingredients and Allergen guide giving details of the component food products that we use to assemble our meals. This is available on our website and for reference in our restaurants.
Our home delivery service operates with a reduced menu but still serves the same Wimpy products found in our restaurants. Please view the nutritional and allergen information provided in our online menu.
Yes. Since January 2018, all own label Wimpy products – including the eggs used in our own delicious sauces - are free range and all shell eggs supplied through the Wimpy distribution channel are only free range. Wimpy has further committed to switching to cage-free alternatives on the remaining very small number of non-own label products that contain egg ingredients on our menu. This will be in place by 2025 at the latest. In the meantime, we continue to work closely with our third party suppliers in order to achieve this change at the earliest opportunity.
Wimpy UK has adopted the European Chicken Commitment (ECC). This decision builds on our stated commitment to recognise the importance of higher welfare standards for chickens and also underlines our desire to source food sustainably.
By signing up to the ECC we commit to exclusively sourcing 100% of our chicken from suppliers who meet or exceed the standards set out in the ECC by 2026. All chicken products currently on our Wimpy menu are sourced from an approved, reputable supplier and meet current EU animal welfare laws and regulations. This move further underlines our commitment to animal welfare and follows our decision in January 2018 to only use free range eggs for all our own label products on the menu.
By signing up to the ECC we commit to exclusively sourcing 100% of our chicken from suppliers who meet or exceed the standards set out in the ECC by 2026. All chicken products currently on our Wimpy menu are sourced from an approved, reputable supplier and meet current EU animal welfare laws and regulations. This move further underlines our commitment to animal welfare and follows our decision in January 2018 to only use free range eggs for all our own label products on the menu.
The first Wimpy opened in The Strand, London in a Lyons Corner House in 1954. Wimpy, then owned by J. Lyons & Co, was the first hamburger chain to be set up in the UK and rapidly became known as the “home of the hamburger”. The name “Wimpy” came from Popeye’s friend, Wellington Wimpy, who loved hamburgers just as much as Popeye loved spinach.
The Wimpy brand is owned by Famous Brands Limited and is Africa’s largest branded food services franchisor. The Brands portfolio consists of 25 restaurant brands, represented by a network of 2,853 restaurants across South Africa, the rest of Africa, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.
All of our restaurants are owned and operated by our dedicated franchisees. Some have been part of the Wimpy family for many decades and some are multi-generational, with parents passing their Wimpy knowledge on to their children. We are always on the look-out for enthusiastic and dedicated new franchisees across the UK and you can find out more by visiting this page.
Find out more about how you can own your own Wimpy restaurant here.
Our burgers are made from 100% British Beef with just an added seasoning. This means that the burger patty recipe is actually 99% beef (which is 100% British) and 1% seasoning. The seasoning is made up of salt, pepper and spices and because some of the spice is carried on wheat flour there is therefore a very small amount of wheat gluten present in the finished product. Our burgers have always contained our unique seasoning and we give full information about the ingredients and allergens that are present in our nutritional booklets in-store and on the Wimpy website.
This recipe has been established for many years and we are proud to use only British Beef as is flashed on the front of menus. We use only approved and independently accredited manufacturers to supply all of our products.
This recipe has been established for many years and we are proud to use only British Beef as is flashed on the front of menus. We use only approved and independently accredited manufacturers to supply all of our products.
Our new Vegan Burger is currently available from the majority of our restaurants. The Vegan Burger is made from 100% vegan ingredients and is cooked and prepared completely separately from meat products to ensure no cross-contamination.
The Wimpy menu includes many other meat-free alternatives and non-meat items. However, these items may be cooked in the same oil as meat or fish products and Wimpy does not claim any menu item (other than the Vegan Burger) as being specifically suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet.
We recognise that individual customers’ needs can vary significantly and are always happy to discuss your specific requirements at the restaurant.
The Wimpy menu includes many other meat-free alternatives and non-meat items. However, these items may be cooked in the same oil as meat or fish products and Wimpy does not claim any menu item (other than the Vegan Burger) as being specifically suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet.
We recognise that individual customers’ needs can vary significantly and are always happy to discuss your specific requirements at the restaurant.
A number of items on our menu are free from ingredients containing gluten. However, we cannot absolutely guarantee that cross-contamination will not occur within the restaurant environment and therefore do not currently promote any foods with a specific “gluten-free” claim. We would always advise that you seek guidance from your doctor or medical professional to discuss the suitability of any of our menu items in relation to specific dietary requirements. Details of ingredients and allergens in our foods can be found in our In-Restaurant Information Guide available on-line and in-store by request.
We do not currently have Halal accreditation for any of our restaurants and do not specifically identify any of the products on our menu as being suitable for a Halal diet.
We recognise that individual customers’ needs can vary significantly and are always happy to discuss your specific requirements at the restaurant.
We recognise that individual customers’ needs can vary significantly and are always happy to discuss your specific requirements at the restaurant.
Whether you have a fabulous Wimpy story to tell, great service to share or a complaint you want recorded, contact our Head Office.
If you are not 100% satisfied with your Wimpy experience, it’s important you raise your complaint with the restaurant staff at the time to ensure issues are resolved swiftly. All Wimpy restaurants are franchised, which means they are independently owned and managed, therefore Wimpy does not have control over the day-to-day management of the restaurant. If however you are not satisfied with the way in which your complaint has been dealt with, please contact our Head Office here.
To support NHS Test and Trace (which is part of the Department for Health and Social Care) in England, we have been mandated by law to collect and keep a limited record of staff, customers and visitors who come onto our premises for the purpose of contact tracing.
By maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors, and sharing these with NHS Test and Trace where requested, we can help to identify people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
As a customer/visitor of Wimpy you will be asked to provide some basic information and contact details. The following information will be collected:
- the names of all customers or visitors, or if it is a group of people, the name of one member of the group;
- a contact phone number for each customer or visitor, or for the lead member of a group of people;
- date of visit and arrival time and departure time.
The venue/establishment as the data controllers for the collection of your personal data, will be responsible for compliance with data protection legislation for the period of time it holds the information. When that information is requested by the NHS Test and Trace service, the service would at this point be responsible for compliance with data protection legislation for that period of time.
The NHS Test and Trace service as part of safeguarding your personal data, has in place technical, organisational and administrative security measures to protect your personal information that it receives from the venue/establishment, that it holds from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.
In addition, if you only interact with one member of staff during your visit, the name of the assigned staff member will be recorded alongside your information.
NHS Test and Trace have asked us to retain this information for 21 days from the date of your visit, to enable contact tracing to be carried out by NHS Test and Trace during that period. We will only share information with NHS Test and Trace if it is specifically requested by them.
For example, if another customer at the venue reported symptoms and subsequently tested positive, NHS Test and Trace can request the log of customer details for a particular time period (for example, this may be all customers who visited on a particular day or time-band, or over a 2-day period).
Under government guidance, the information we collect may include information which we would not ordinarily collect from you and which we therefore collect only for the purpose of contact tracing. Information of this type will not be used for other purposes, and NHS Test and Trace will not disclose this information to any third party unless required to do so by law (for example, as a result of receiving a court order). In addition, where the information is only collected for the purpose of contact tracing, it will be destroyed by us 21 days after the date of your visit.
However, the government guidance may also cover information that we would usually collect and hold onto as part of our ordinary dealings with you (perhaps, for example, your name, date of birth and phone number). Where this is the case, this information only will continue to be held after 21 days and we will use it as we usually would, unless and until you tell us not to.
Your information will always be stored and used in compliance with the relevant data protection legislation.
The use of your information is covered by the General Data Protection Regulations Article 6 (1) (c) – a legal obligation to which we as a venue/establishment are subject to. The legal obligation to which we’re subject, means that we’re mandated by law, by a set of new regulations from the government, to co-operate with the NHS Test and Trace service, in order to help maintain a safe operating environment and to help fight any local outbreak of corona virus.
By law, you have a number of rights as a data subject, such as the right to be informed, the right to access information held about you and the right to rectification of any inaccurate data that we hold about you.
You have the right to request that we erase personal data about you that we hold (although this is not an absolute right).
You have the right to request that we restrict processing of personal data about you that we hold in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to processing of personal data about you on grounds relating to your particular situation (also again this right is not absolute).
If you are unhappy or wish to complain about how your information is used, you should contact a member of staff in the first instance to resolve your issue. If you are not satisfied, you can email your complaint to info@wimpy.uk.com.
If you are still not satisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Their website address is www.ico.org.uk.
By maintaining records of staff, customers and visitors, and sharing these with NHS Test and Trace where requested, we can help to identify people who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
As a customer/visitor of Wimpy you will be asked to provide some basic information and contact details. The following information will be collected:
- the names of all customers or visitors, or if it is a group of people, the name of one member of the group;
- a contact phone number for each customer or visitor, or for the lead member of a group of people;
- date of visit and arrival time and departure time.
The venue/establishment as the data controllers for the collection of your personal data, will be responsible for compliance with data protection legislation for the period of time it holds the information. When that information is requested by the NHS Test and Trace service, the service would at this point be responsible for compliance with data protection legislation for that period of time.
The NHS Test and Trace service as part of safeguarding your personal data, has in place technical, organisational and administrative security measures to protect your personal information that it receives from the venue/establishment, that it holds from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.
In addition, if you only interact with one member of staff during your visit, the name of the assigned staff member will be recorded alongside your information.
NHS Test and Trace have asked us to retain this information for 21 days from the date of your visit, to enable contact tracing to be carried out by NHS Test and Trace during that period. We will only share information with NHS Test and Trace if it is specifically requested by them.
For example, if another customer at the venue reported symptoms and subsequently tested positive, NHS Test and Trace can request the log of customer details for a particular time period (for example, this may be all customers who visited on a particular day or time-band, or over a 2-day period).
Under government guidance, the information we collect may include information which we would not ordinarily collect from you and which we therefore collect only for the purpose of contact tracing. Information of this type will not be used for other purposes, and NHS Test and Trace will not disclose this information to any third party unless required to do so by law (for example, as a result of receiving a court order). In addition, where the information is only collected for the purpose of contact tracing, it will be destroyed by us 21 days after the date of your visit.
However, the government guidance may also cover information that we would usually collect and hold onto as part of our ordinary dealings with you (perhaps, for example, your name, date of birth and phone number). Where this is the case, this information only will continue to be held after 21 days and we will use it as we usually would, unless and until you tell us not to.
Your information will always be stored and used in compliance with the relevant data protection legislation.
The use of your information is covered by the General Data Protection Regulations Article 6 (1) (c) – a legal obligation to which we as a venue/establishment are subject to. The legal obligation to which we’re subject, means that we’re mandated by law, by a set of new regulations from the government, to co-operate with the NHS Test and Trace service, in order to help maintain a safe operating environment and to help fight any local outbreak of corona virus.
By law, you have a number of rights as a data subject, such as the right to be informed, the right to access information held about you and the right to rectification of any inaccurate data that we hold about you.
You have the right to request that we erase personal data about you that we hold (although this is not an absolute right).
You have the right to request that we restrict processing of personal data about you that we hold in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to processing of personal data about you on grounds relating to your particular situation (also again this right is not absolute).
If you are unhappy or wish to complain about how your information is used, you should contact a member of staff in the first instance to resolve your issue. If you are not satisfied, you can email your complaint to info@wimpy.uk.com.
If you are still not satisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Their website address is www.ico.org.uk.
