Leaders from across Northern Ireland’s agri-food, sporting and community sectors gathered today in Belfast for a Business Breakfast event, hosted by McDonald’s UK and Ireland at its newly reopened Boucher Road restaurant in the city.
Guests at the event heard from Minister for Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs Edwin Poots, who said:
“McDonald’s contributes hugely to the NI economy and spends over £26million every year directly with Northern Ireland farmers for produce such as beef and cheese, as well as sourcing from local suppliers.
“I congratulate McDonald’s on its continued investment in innovation, particularly in the use of digital technology as part of its ‘Convenience of the Future’ restaurant development plans, as seen at the Boucher Road restaurant today.
“This ongoing investment, together with the long-standing relationship between McDonald’s and our agri food industry, bodes well for the future. I look forward to seeing even more of our high quality, local products featuring on McDonald’s menus and being delivered across a range of new platforms in the years to come.”
McDonald’s UK and Ireland currently operates 33 restaurants across Northern Ireland – all run by seven local Franchisees who, collectively, employ over 3,300 crew members directly.
Owned and operated by Franchisee Paul Connan, the Boucher Road restaurant is the latest to have undergone a major refurbishment as part of the nationwide ‘Convenience of the Future’ programme, which will see McDonald’s invest £250million in the redesign of 800 of its restaurants across the UK and Ireland over the next four years.
Sarah Carter, McDonald’s Vice President Operations North, McDonald’s UK and Ireland, told guests that the investment programme is underpinned by McDonald’s belief that it must continue to invest to grow.
“Our customers here in Northern Ireland, and right across our UK and Ireland business, rightly expect to have choice in how and where they order and collect their food,” she said. “Our job is to ensure that every experience is a great one.”
According to Ms Carter, the investment in the customer experience is already seeing McDonald’s shake up the way its restaurants operate to reflect the increasingly diverse ways that its customers can order their food.
“Although traditional walk-in and Drive-Thru remain core to how our customers order, the redesign of our kitchens and dining areas like this one is enabling us to better integrate digital sales channels, our MyMcDonald’sApp, and make smarter use of space,” she continued.
“We are also reflecting the rise in delivery with separate delivery courier collection areas and, with 50% of our sales now going through digital channels such as McDelivery, mobile, and self-order screens, Boucher Road is a great example of how we’re also providing our restaurant teams with the technology, equipment, and space to work together more effectively and better manage more complex or personalised orders.
“Our customers are increasingly looking for greater speed, efficiency and choice in how they order their food,” she said. “This £250million investment in the customer experience not only addresses how they are ordering now but provides us with a platform to continue to adapt and innovate further in the future.”
