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McDonald's France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
McDonald's France
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRestaurant
GenreFast food
FoundedJune 30, 1972 (first restaurant)
Headquarters,
France
Number of locations
1,485 (as of 2020)[1]
Area served
France
Key people
Raymond Dayan (Franchisee)
Michel Ksiazenicer (Franchisee)
Products
ServicesFranchising
Number of employees
1,485 (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
ParentMcDonald's Corporation
Websitemcdonalds.fr

McDonald's France, colloquially called McDo,[2] is the French subsidiary of the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. Its first location opened in 1972 by franchisee Raymond Dayan in Creteil, France, although the company itself still recognizes the first outlet as opening in Strasbourg in 1979.[3] McDonald's France currently has over 1,485 restaurants operating nationwide, serving an estimated forty-six million people each week.

McDonald's French operations are based in Guyancourt, Yvelines.

History

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According to McDonald's official history, the chain created its first restaurant in France in 1979. However, in reality, the first "McDo" in France opened its doors on June 30, 1972, in Créteil, a suburb of Paris, thanks to the initiative of French businessman Raymond Dayan, who had signed a franchise agreement with the company. Since McDonald's didn't believe that the hamburger would be successful in the country of gastronomy, the contract authorized the Frenchman to create up to 150 restaurants over thirty years for a royalty of only 1.5% of the turnover instead of the usual 10 to 20%.[4]

Due to its success, by the end of the decade, Dayan had 14 establishments that sold almost twice as much as in any other country, and McDonald's offered to buy his restaurants. However, Dayan refused, and McDonald's filed a lawsuit against him for non-compliance with production and hygiene standards, which they won in 1982 after a long legal battle. Dayan kept his restaurants, but he had to rename them O'Kitch[5] and eventually sold them to Quick restaurants in 1986.

Without even waiting for the end of the lawsuit, McDonald's opened a restaurant in Strasbourg in 1979.

In 2009, McDonald's France modified his logo, replacing the red color with green, in a marketing strategy to fight against the reputation of being environmentally unconscious and present a greener image.[6]

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As with McDonald's locations worldwide, the franchise primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, french fries, breakfast items,[7] soft drinks, milkshakes and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes, the company has expanded its menu to include salads, fish, wraps, smoothies, and fruit. The company also operates the McCafé chain within many of its stores. McDonald's in France is known for its pastries such as croissants, doughnuts, pain au chocolat, and macarons. There is also a McBaguette, introduced in 2012, filled with two burger patties, two slices of Emmental cheese, lettuce, and French mustard. It is typically offered seasonally and resurged in popularity in 2022 after being featured in the TV series Emily in Paris.[8][9]

Technology

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In 2016, in what U.S. media described as "McDonald's of the future," over 90% of McDonald's France had self-ordering touchscreen kiosks.[10][11] McDonald's France smartphone app, GoMcDo, was one of the first in France to offer integration with Apple's Passbook.[12][13]

McDonald's France also has introduced reusable tableware in an effort to cut down on food waste. The tableware has been praised internationally for its aesthetics and design language.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Qui sommes nous ?". Mcdonalds.fr. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. ^ "TBWA Paris MCDONAld's".
  3. ^ "Notre histoire".
  4. ^ "C'était il y a 50 ans : En 1972, à Créteil, le premier restaurant McDonald's de France secoue le pays de la gastronomie". 8 August 2022.
  5. ^ "O'KITCH : N°3 Vidéo | INA".
  6. ^ Glover, Katherine (2009-11-30). "McDonald's Changes Color Scheme of Iconic Arches - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  7. ^ Griner, David (August 27, 2019). "These McDonald's Egg McMuffin Videos Might Be the Most Satisfying Ads Ever Made". Adweek. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Menus McDonald's® - Menu, prix et détails nutritionnels".
  9. ^ "Yes, You Really Can Grab a McBaguette Just Like 'Emily in Paris' — but There's a Catch".
  10. ^ "McDonalds of the Future features touchscreen ordering, Greeters and Table Service". 16 May 2017.
  11. ^ "McDonald's rolling out self-ordering kiosks in Europe; will U.S. Be next?".
  12. ^ Pietri, Antoine (23 October 2013). "The new means of payment for daily transactions". Le Nouvel Économiste (in French). Retrieved 25 April 2020. Airtag a ainsi développé des solutions basées sur les smartphones, permettant de supprimer le passage en caisse. La société est notamment à l'origine du service GoMcDo
  13. ^ "L'app de commande McDonald's désormais disponible dans le Passbook de l'iPhone". Internet Retailing (in French). 4 October 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2020. Airtag, fournisseur de solutions de Mobile Shopping vient de rendre compatible son application de commande et de paiement développée pour McDonald's avec l'application Passbook de l'iPhone [...] l'application GoMcDo pour iOS6 est l'une des première en France à disposer de la fonctionnalité "ajouter à Passbook"
  14. ^ "Macron versus McDonald's: how France ditched disposable food packaging". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-06-08.