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McDonald’s M


cDonald’s UK and Ireland enjoyed another record-breaking year in 2018. In October, the business


celebrated the 50th consecutive quarter of sales growth and is nearing the end of the rollout of its Experience of the Future (EotF) programme – a £650million investment programme in all restaurants. While EotF may be near conclusion, this is just the start – the innovation and investment continues. Following the launch of the company’s delivery service McDelivery, in collaboration with UberEATS, McDonald’s has successfully rolled out McDelivery to over 700 stores and it has been extremely well received by customers. EotF has been the most significant image refresh the UK and Irish McDonald’s restaurants have seen. This has included changing the kitchen platforms to allow for innovation and customisation, including offering the Signature Collection; installing digital order kiosks, tablets and interactive play tables; and developing the MyMcDonald’s app, which was relaunched in October. Developments of the app now incorporate geotagging, which sends a signal to the restaurant to start preparing the order, and a digital hot-drink loyalty card. While McDonald’s is always developing its product range, it also takes time to recognise old favourites. In 2018, McDonald’s celebrated 50 years of the Big Mac; a promotion so popular with customers it outperformed sales projections. The promotion included a Mac Jr, Big Mac and the Grand Big Mac. The iconic product’s birthday was celebrated by transforming the London BFI IMAX into a Big Mac along


with wider marketing on social media. All of this success wouldn’t be possible without its franchisees. A decade ago, only 35 per cent of the McDonald’s UK and Ireland network was franchised; today that number has more than doubled to over 80 per cent. There are now more than 190 franchisees, who operate over 1,100 restaurants between them. McDonald’s is actively looking for prospective franchisees across the UK and Ireland and has ambitious opening plans in the coming years. Becoming a McDonald’s franchisee is a great opportunity to start your own business, with the support of a larger, established organisation. You will have access


to McDonald’s tried-and-tested methods, its research and development functions and its supply chain, which works with more than 23,000 UK and Irish farmers to produce many of the ingredients that go into its menu, including beef, potatoes for its fries and organic milk for its teas and coffees. Most importantly, franchisees will have the support and training that a standalone business owner might not. There are three interview stages to the McDonald’s franchisee recruitment process. Applicants that pass the first interview are invited to spend five days in a McDonald’s restaurant working alongside the crew


32 | The Franchise Magazine 2019


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