McDonald’s announced its plans to open over 200 restaurants in the UK and Ireland, in the next four years. Around 24,000 people will be hired to work in the new locations. Its goal is to build 10,000 more restaurants globally by 2027.

The roll-out will include testing new restaurant formats, with ‘Drive to’ restaurants recently launched, and additional smaller formats being trialed this year – ensuring every new restaurant meets the needs of the community in which it operates. The plans will also see a renewed focus on opening high-street restaurants.

Alongside new restaurants, the business will continue to upgrade and reimage more than 1,500 existing restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

The QSR celebrates 50 years in the UK. The plans were included in the new report, ‘McDonald’s at 50’, which explores the business’s positive impact on its communities across the UK. The fast-food giant opened 41 new restaurants here in 2023, which is the highest number in two decades, it says.

“Fifty years ago, when McDonald’s first opened its doors (in the UK), the world looked a little different. Half a century later, the UK has changed, and with it, McDonald’s has evolved too… When we opened, there was just one way to order, and now there are 11,” says Alistair Macrow, CEO of McDonald’s UK & Ireland.

Regional breakdown:

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