Tag: McDonalds

McDonald’s Indian franchise goes on a market share offensive, reveals plans to launch 200 stores in the next 5 years

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INDIA – Westlife Development, the owner and operator of McDonald’s restaurants in the west and south of India, is on a market expansion drive, revealing plans to add around 200 additional restaurants in its network within the next five years.   The company said it is planning to invest around Rs 800-1,000 crore in the opening of new stores and also in revamping existing stores with enhanced digital capabilities such as self-ordering kiosks and table services.  Westlife Development said the investment will strengthen its leadership position in the burger, chicken and beverage segments further and aid the growth of the…

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McDonald’s China to train 75,000 restaurant workers in newly opened Hamburger University

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CHINA –  American multinational fast-food restaurant McDonald’s has said it expects to train and develop more than 75,000 restaurant workers in China at newly Hamburger University over the next five years.    The Hamburger University is housed in McDonald’s China new eight-story, sustainability-focused headquarters in Shanghai.  According to the fast-food chain,  the new headquarters was built with a focus on energy-saving and environmental responsibility, as well as promotion of cross-functional collaboration and flexible working.    The building has no fixed seating arrangements for employees. Instead, the building offers employees greater flexibility by providing desks,…

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McDonald’s joins net-zero emissions bandwagon with new target to be carbon neutral by 2050

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USA – American fast food company McDonald’s Corp has joined an ever-growing list of food companies with net-zero targets, promising to cut global greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.  According to the fast-food chain, the targets cover the entire supply chain of the company from the beef in its burgers to the light bulbs in its restaurants.  The burger chain also said it was working with the nonprofit Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to revamp its existing climate change targets.   It aims to lower absolute emissions by about a third…

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McDonald’s to cut use of virgin plastic in toys, announces share buyback program as business recovers

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USA – McDonald’s Happy Meal toys will be made from recycled or plant-based plastics in an effort to cut its use of virgin fossil fuel-based plastics, the company has revealed.   According to a statement from the company, the changes will allow it to cut its use of virgin fossil fuel-based plastic for Happy Meals by 90% compared with 2018.  McDonald’s, which started selling Happy Meals in 1979, shifted to more sustainable toys in the UK, Ireland and France in 2018.  In the United States, McDonald’s is already using some…

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Global fast-food chains in African barely show progress in committing to animal welfare standards

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AFRICA – Global Fast foods restaurants with operations in Africa have been put on the radar for not adhering to the same animal welfare standards put in place in markets abroad. Under the recently released ‘The Pecking Order 2021’, the food service operators have been ranked and awarded points across three main elements: corporate commitments, objectives and targets, and performance reporting. Based on their score, companies can sit in one of the six grades given ranging from ‘Very poor’ to ‘Leading’. The criteria underpinning ‘The pecking order’ methodology is based…

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McDonald’s names first chief customer officer as Indian franchise plans to open over 25 stores annually

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US/INDIA – American fast-food chain company McDonald’s has promoted Manu Steijaert to the newly created role of executive vice president and global chief customer officer, effective Aug. 1.   Mr. Steijaert will report to McDonald’s President and chief executive officer Chris Kempczinski and will lead McDonald’s new customer experience team.  The team combines several existing teams responsible for end-to-end customer experience — data analytics, digital customer engagement, global marketing, global restaurant development, and restaurant solutions.  Mr. Steijaert- the son of a former McDonald’s franchisee – brings to his new role more than 20 years of experience in the McDonald’s…

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McDonald’s to invest US$13m in opening 30 outlets in India

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INDIA – Westlife Development, which operates McDonald’s restaurants in the southern and western region of India, has announced plans to open up to 30 outlets of the quick-service restaurant brand in the current financial year. Currently, Westlife Development’s arm Hardcastle Restaurants operates 305 McDonald’s restaurants across 42 cities in India. The stores are in the states of Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Union Territory of Puducherry. Last financial year, the franchise only managed to open 5 stores. The…

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Beyond Meat to supply McDonalds with plant based patty in new 3-year strategic partnership deal

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US – Alternative Proteins Company Beyond Meat, Inc. has secured a 3 year supply deal with US multinational fast food restaurant franchise McDonalds. The two companies signed a three-year global strategic agreement in late February this year to formalize the supply deal. As part of the agreement, Beyond Meat® will be McDonald’s preferred supplier for the patty in the McPlant®, a new plant-based burger being tested in select McDonald’s markets globally. In addition, Beyond Meat and McDonald’s will explore co-developing other plant-based menu items – like plant-based options for chicken,…

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McDonald’s India embraces technology to enhance customer experience in 2021 and beyond

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INDIA – As part of its business strategy, Connaught Plaza Restaurants the franchise holder for Mc Donald’s business in North and East India, is looking at technology, restaurant reimaging and menu innovation to drive better customer experience and engagement in 2021 and beyond. Additionally, the company says it will enhance its menu with new menu items as per the Indian taste palate, as it has been doing with some of its recent launches such as Double Patty Burgers, Dosa Masala Burger, Chicken McGrill, Piri-Piri Fries among others. The company opened…

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Westlife to increase McDonald’s presence in India with 30 new stores

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INDIA – Westlife Development Ltd, which owns Hardcastle Restaurants, the master franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants for western and southern India, has announced plans to adding more stores to its network. A company official privy to the matter said that the company plans to open three new stores in this quarter and then resume its growth journey of adding 25-40 stores every year from the next fiscal. These plans are a show of confidence by the McDonald’s franchisee that business in the fast-food sector will return to pre-COVID-19 level as from…

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