Coronavirus: Images show Kiwis crammed outside takeaway outlets on the first day of alert level 3

Not all Kiwis have followed social distancing rules on the first day of alert level 3, with pictures showing some crammed outside takeaway outlets waiting for their fast food fix.

Social media users have shared photos online, some of which were sent to Newshub, of queues outside Auckland's Glenfield Burgerfuel where social distancing rules were not being adhered to.

North Shore councillor Richard Hills shared the photo on Twitter saying, "Oh man. I'm worried for us".

"This sh*t was insane," said another man who walked past the queue and shared the photo to Facebook.

"We can do this better and hope this will get sorted."

Northcote MP Dan Bidois also said it was unacceptable.

"I've contacted the police this morning to remind Burger Fuel Glenfield of the social distancing requirements in level 3 and that they need to put a better process in place immediately to make sure they are meeting these requirements," the National Party MP said on Facebook.

In a statement, BurgerFuel said day one of alert level 3 had seen its stores "inundated" with customers.

"Our staff are navigating many new procedures such as strict hygiene protocols, physical distancing guidelines and contactless food preparation in our kitchens. This, combined with major volumes of orders following five weeks of no operation, resulted in some stores struggling to control crowds at peak collection times," a spokeswoman told Newshub.

"We are working hard on a number of improvements to ensure the wellbeing of our customers and staff.

"To name a few: We will be limiting online orders to ensure food production and queues are manageable, all stores are now required to have a crowd controller at the store front at all times, to reinforce physical distancing and we have also provided additional video training to guide our staff and ensure we are operating in adherence with the Government’s guidelines." 

A police spokeswoman confirmed officers were called to a takeaway shop in Glenfield on Tuesday night.

"There was a large group congregating, police attended and education was given to ensure a better and safer process."

Police were called to a "small number" of incidents on Tuesday night where people weren't adhering to social distancing measures, the spokeswoman told Newshub.

"We just remind people to ensure they continue to keep a good distance from other members of our community and also understand that there may be queues to get your favourite takeaway so please continue to have patience."

As New Zealand moved to alert level 3 on Tuesday, many decided to spend their day stuck in traffic to get their fast food fix.

Coming out of lockdown meant a flurry of hospitality and retail businesses could open up shop, offering contactless drive-thru, click-and-collect and delivery.

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