Nando’s has reopened six restaurants in London and Manchester for delivery orders, joining a growing band of fast-food companies seeking to ease back into business during lockdown.

Burger King, which has already reopened six sites for delivery and takeaway, is opening eight more from Wednesday, including a drive-through.

Restaurants and pubs were closed as part of the lockdown but are allowed to prepare food in their kitchens for collection or delivery, and many have been providing free meals to NHS staff and other key workers.

After working with Deliveroo to serve more than 10,000 meals to charities and NHS workers from its kitchens, Nando’s has started offering home delivery from six outlets – four in London and two in Manchester – as part of a gradual reopening process.

Burger King is reopening restaurants in Aberdeen, Dundee, Merton in south London, Reading, Southampton, and Hillington and Springfield Quay, both in Glasgow and aims to have at least one open in every city by 31 May. It is offering a limited menu and contactless delivery through Just Eat and Deliveroo.

A drive-through Burger King in Hampshire is also reopening as a trial with a view to opening more such restaurants over the coming weeks.

Katie Evans, the marketing director of Burger King UK, said: “We are so pleased to be able to open more restaurants across the UK this week, including our first restaurant for customer Drive Thru, which is a huge step forward.”

KFC has reopened 11 restaurants with a limited menu for delivery only, in London, Hampshire, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sussex, Greater Manchester and Staffordshire.

All the companies say their staff are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and practising physical distancing, and strict hygiene standards are being adhered to.

Wagamama, the Restaurant Group-owned brand, has announced plans for a gradual return of its delivery operation. It says it has devised a schedule that will allow staff to slowly return to delivery-only work at their own discretion. The first sites to open will be Wagamama’s delivery kitchens in Peckham, Hackney, Bow and Leeds from Thursday.

McDonald’s said it was carrying out operational tests behind closed doors this week in preparation for a limited reopening of some restaurants.

Paul Pomroy, the chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said reopening would happen only “when we are absolutely confident we can have the right measures in place to ensure everyone’s wellbeing”.

McDonald’s shut seating areas in mid-March and closed all takeaway and drive-through services a week later. It has more than 1,270 restaurants in the UK and employs more than 120,000 people.

Pomroy said: “Restarting our business is not an easy task even when reopening in a limited capacity. We have set ourselves some key criteria for reopening, all of which take time: first and foremost, ensuring the wellbeing of our people and creating the right environment for them to return to work; secondly, ensuring we have enough supply of fresh produce; finally, working in step with government guidelines to ensure the safety of our customers.”