McDonald’s Marks One Month Out From the London 2012 Olympic Games With Sneak Preview of Flagship Restaurant in the Olympic Park

LONDON--(Korea Newswire)--McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) today shared an advanced preview of its flagship Olympic Park restaurant for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The restaurant brings together, in one state-of-the-art structure, many of the best innovations from across McDonald’s Europe and will feature the most expansive McDonald’s menu of any Olympic Games.

“As a Worldwide Partner, we bring the Olympic Spirit to life through meaningful, relevant experiences for our customers both on-site at the Games and in our more than 33,000 restaurants around the world,” said Dean Barrett, Global Marketing Officer, McDonald’s Corporation. “We are proud to serve our high-quality, great tasting food to the athletes, spectators and media, and look forward to welcoming Olympic fans from across the globe to celebrate with us in London.”

Modernization of the Restaurant Experience

Inspired by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games’(LOCOG’s) vision to make London 2012 the most sustainable Games possible, McDonald’s spent three years planning and designing the restaurant to ensure it would create a contemporary and welcoming atmosphere for customers, with minimum impact on the environment. Created by leading interior designer Philippe Avanzi, the look and feel of McDonald’s four Olympic Park restaurants is based on the company's latest European design elements being implemented around the world.

“London 2012 is set to be the most sustainable Games ever hosted, and this ambition inspired us to not only fulfill our role as Official Restaurant in the catering operation behind the event, but also to bind environmental sustainability into the heart of our state-of-the-art Olympic Park restaurant,” said Jill McDonald, CEO, McDonald’s UK. “Our flagship restaurant features many of the innovations that have fuelled our transformation over the last five years to improve the customer experience and increase the efficiency of our business operations.”

Designed with the Customer in Mind

These innovations include the choice of express lanes as well as traditional ordering at the counter and contactless payment, in addition to the use of energy-efficient kitchen equipment and water-saving features. McDonald's will collect all used cooking oil from the restaurant and recycle it into the special blend of biodiesel that fuels more than half of its UK delivery trucks.

When McDonald’s dismantles the restaurant after the Games, 75 percent will be reused, and nearly every item will be recycled, with all of the furniture and equipment to be distributed to future and existing restaurants in the UK. Thousands of items installed in the restaurant are logged to be transferred at the end of the Games.

The restaurant is prepared to handle large crowds anticipated during the Games, with seating for 1,500 at the site, including 70 seats on a second floor balcony with a scenic view of the Olympic Athletic Stadium.

Most Extensive Menu of Favorites

McDonald’s will offer more choice on the menu than at any previous Games to hundreds of thousands of athletes, officials, spectators, Olympic workforce and media from around the world. The majority of menu options are made from quality ingredients sourced from McDonald’s longstanding British supply chain and will include:

· McDonald’s favorites such as the Big Mac sandwich, Chicken McNuggets and French Fries
· Porridge and bagels at breakfast
· Wraps and salads
· Happy Meals with fruit and vegetable options available for the first time at any Games
· New fruit juice drink - Fruitizz - counts as one fruit serving of 5-a-day
· Sustainably-sourced tea and coffee served with British organic milk

McDonald’s will staff its flagship restaurant with 500 employees known as McDonald’s Olympic Champion Crew -- top-performing employees from McDonald’s and its franchisees who have been selected from countries around the world to work at one of the four McDonald’s restaurants on the Olympic Park during the Games. These 2,000 best-of-the-best managers and crew from 42 countries will receive customized online and on-site training in preparation for their experience so they are fully prepared to deliver their best customer service during the unique, fast-paced environment of the Olympic Park, working as part of a large team from around the world.

To download B-Roll footage and images of McDonald’s flagship restaurant as well as other materials, please visit: www.EpkLink.com/McDonalds2012OlympicGames

About McDonald’s and the Olympic Games

McDonald’s commitment to the Olympic Movement began in 1968, when the company airlifted hamburgers to U.S. athletes in Grenoble, France, after they reported being homesick for McDonald’s food. McDonald’s has served its menu of choice and variety to millions of athletes, their coaches, families and fans. London 2012 marks the ninth consecutive Games that McDonald’s will feed the athletes as the Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games.

About McDonald’s

McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,500 locations serving approximately 68 million customers in 119 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local men and women. To learn more about the company, please visit http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/newsroom.html and follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mcdonaldscorp) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/mcdonaldscorp).

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com

This is a news release distributed by Korea Newswire on behalf of this company.