Questions answered

There are 11 questions about “Franchises” in the “How do you operate?” topic.

Click on a question to read our answer.

1. Me and my work colleagues used to go to McDonald's, Peel Retail Park, Washington, every Friday for lunch. Over the last 2 months they have started charging for sauce, including tomato ketchup. I understand that McDonalds own some restaurants and others by Franchisees, but why does the company not insist, along with other standards Franchisees must maintain to trade as McDonald's, that tomato ketchup should be included with a meal, where requested, at no additional charge?
Thank you for your question. McDonald’s aims to provide consistent levels of service throughout restaurants in the UK and appreciates your confusion at the differences. As you rightly mention, the reason that there is a difference between having to pay or not pay for sauce sachets is that some McDonald’s restaurant franchises charge for this to cover their costs, and other restaurants don’t. By law McDonald’s are not allowed to govern the prices charged by franchisees. The company can however advise on prices but if a franchisee decides to charge prices, which contrast to the McDonald’s company menu, or charge for sauces then this is their decision.

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2. How many franchises are unionised in the UK? How many collective agreements are in place? Does McDonalds support a moratorium on advertising aimed at young children?
In line with Government and industry restrictions, McDonald's does not advertise food and drink classified as high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) to children. 75% of McDonald's Happy Meal menu is not classified as HFSS and it only advertises the non HFSS items to children. In addition, the company uses its popular licensed characters, such as Shrek and Monsters vs Aliens, on fruit bags, carrot sticks and organic semi-skimmed milk to help make fruit and vegetables more appealing to children. We [McDonald's] do not ask franchisees for this information but don't believe any of our franchised restaurants are unionised. Nor do we believe there are any collective agreements in place. Franchisees work in their restaurants alongside their managers and staff. They have a variety of methods of communicating with all their employees including an "open door" policy to ensure there are ample opportunities for face to face discussions. (June 2009)

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3. I am interested in opening a halal mcdonalds in Manchester, please advise procedure and who I should contact. Thank you Bushra Ahmed
Currently McDonald's does not have the correct infrastructure to provide Halal franchise opportunities in the UK, although the company is in the early stages of a trial of a limited Halal menu in a test restaurant in London. Results of trials and further extensive debate with customers and shareholders will give McDonald's a better view of the possibilities of Halal franchise restaurants. You can find more information about franchise opportunities by going to the 'Contact Us' section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk and looking under 'Franchising'. You can also find more information on McDonald’s Halal trial on this site. Just click on 'McDonald’s News' for further information.(March 09) SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.

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4. Hi, Is there a possibility of opening a HALAL MCDONALDS? If so what are the procedures? who do i need to contact to franchise? many thanx.
Currently McDonald's does not have the correct infrastructure to provide Halal franchise opportunities in the UK, although the company is in the stages of a trial of a limited Halal menu in a test restaurant in London. Results of trials and further extensive debate with customers and shareholders will give McDonald's a better view of the possibilities of Halal franchise restaurants. You can find more information about franchise opportunities by going to the 'Contact Us' section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk and looking under 'Franchising'. You can also find more information on McDonald’s Halal trial on this site. Just click on 'McDonald’s News' for further information.(March 09) SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.

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5. i am a muslim and i am interested in applaying for a halal franchise i have my own freehold property in bolton town center greater manchester please advice thank you iddris hakim
Currently McDonald's does not have the correct infrastructure to provide Halal franchise opportunities in the UK, although the company is in the early stages of a trial of a limited Halal menu in a test restaurant. Should you wish to apply for a conventional franchise however, please visit the franchising section of the company website at www.mcdonalds.co.uk for a brochure and application pack. All of the franchise opportunities are for existing trading restaurants. If you have a site that you think may be of interest to McDonald's, please contact the Development Team on 0870 241 3300. If your site is considered, you will still need to complete the franchisee application process. A full explanation of this process can be found in the McDonald's brochure. JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. (June 2007) SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.

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6. Can i have a halal mcdonald franchise if yes then please send me some information. thank you
Today, McDonald's UK lacks the necessary infrastructure in its supply chain to guarantee the requirements of Halal. However, there are McDonald’s restaurants in other parts of the world that serve Halal food, such as Australia and the Middle East. To find out more about how to apply for a McDonald's franchise go to the 'Contact Us' section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk and look under 'Franchising’. JUNE '07 UPDATE: McDonald's trials Halal chicken at a restaurant in Southall, London. SEPTEMBER '09 TRIAL RESULT: McDonald’s began this trial because we wanted to assess customer demand for certified Halal food in our UK restaurants. We have learnt that Halal is only popular with a very small percentage of our customers and to offer it we would need to make significant changes to our kitchen procedures and supply chain. Given this, we have decided that we are not currently in a position to roll out Halal food in the UK.

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7. I am thinking of starting a McDonald franchise but I would like the location to be near home. Is it possible for you to give me the list of available location that is company owned? I live in the West midlands
Firstly thank you for your enquiry regarding McDonald’s franchising opportunities in the West Midlands. Unfortunately we are unable to provide a list of restaurants as we only review areas and currently the West Midlands is an area not being reviewed. However we are looking for franchisees for the North of England and possibly Scotland. Should you feel you wish to explore these opportunities further, please feel free to review and apply via the ‘franchising’ section on our website at www.mcdonalds.co.uk. (July 09)

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8. 1. how much does the average Mcdonalds franchise cost? 2.how many McDonald franchises are their in the UK? 3.what assistance does McDonalds give the franchisee? 4.What requirements are made of the franchisee?
In answer to your first question, a McDonald’s franchise costs on average around £85,000. With regards to your second question there are over 1,200 McDonald’s restaurants in the UK of which 52 percent are owned by the 250 franchisees. The company locates, develops and constructs the restaurant and McDonald’s retains ownership, which is then rented out to the franchisee. All equipment including the kitchen, lighting, signage, seating and décor must be equipped at the franchisee’s expense. The franchisee is also expected to undertake a nine month full-time unpaid training programme, covering every aspect of running a McDonald’s restaurant. After completion of the training course, McDonald’s will continue to offer its full support to the franchise. What McDonald’s expects in return is a committed individual who is keen to run a franchise to the very best of their abilities. Finally in order to maintain quality and uniformity, franchisees must abide by the company’s high standards in the operation of the business. If you are interested in applying for a McDonald's franchise, you can find out all the information you require by going to the 'Contact Us' section at www.mcdonalds.co.uk and looking under 'Franchising’. (July 2008)

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9. Hi, i m intrusted to open mcdonald fast food in my city(Abbottabad ) pakistan i have got prime location on main mansehra road. looking for favourable responce.
Thank you for your interest in McDonald’s franchises. Unfortunately, here in the UK we only deal with franchises for the UK. The USA deal with franchises both at home and abroad and your best course of action would be through the US corporate website. The web address is www.mcdonalds.com, select the country as USA then go into corporate - franchising - international opportunities. Once again thank you for your enquiry and we wish you every success for the future. (May 2009)

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10. plz can u send me a link for an exmaple of the mcdonalds franchise organizational chart omz ... thanku
The McDonald's executive organisational department areas are as follows: at the top are the chairman and chief executive officer, and the chief operating officer. Below that, the departments are broken down into: corporate affairs, marketing, human resources, national operations, regional managers, finance, information, and strategic planning. Other functional departments within McDonald's are legal, customer services, franchising, security, hygiene and safety, property and construction, supply chain and restaurant services. For more information on franchising click the 'Contact Us' link at www.mcdonalds.co.uk. (July 2007)

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11. I want to open up a McDonald's restaurant in EastAfrica (Uganda).I need guidence from you on how to do this.Thanks
The best way to get information about opening a franchise in another country is to visit www.mcdonalds.com and go to the relevant country’s site.

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