Letter to the Editor

I think it’s safe to say none of us will forget 2020 in a hurry. It often feels like the word ‘unprecedented’ is overused, but not this year. From closing our restaurants in March through to the evolving local and national lockdown requirements, it really has been a year like no other. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank our fantastic employees, franchisees and suppliers, without whom we would not have been able to navigate this challenging year.

Our restaurant teams have worked tirelessly to get back to serving your favourites. I am so proud of the way our people have rallied together – from delivering food parcels to key workers and food banks and dancing in Drive-thrus to put a smile on customers’ faces, through to relearning how to do their jobs in new kitchen layouts, with fewer team members on each shift in incredibly busy circumstances.

Over the next fortnight our opening hours and services will vary as we look to give our employees some additional time off. We will keep the website and My McDonald’s app up to date with the latest information, so please do check before you travel.

Throughout the year we have continued to seek ways to support the communities in which we operate, and this Christmas is no different. We have partnered with FareShare to fund the redistribution of five million meals until Easter 2021 and, in addition, Becky Hill’s fantastic rendition of Forever Young on our Christmas advertisement is raising thousands of pounds for FareShare and Food Cloud in Ireland as it enters the Christmas charts this weekend.

Yesterday we opened the first playground made from recycled Happy Meal^® toys, with an unveiling at Ronald McDonald House Oxford, providing play opportunities for families with children poorly in hospital. I’m delighted to confirm that, from 1^st January, we will no longer offer non-sustainable hard plastic toys in our Happy Meal^®, removing over 3,000 tonnes of plastic from our supply chain. In every community in the UK and Ireland, our franchisees and their teams have also supported local football teams, charities and organisations, as well as fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

We will continue this and much more into 2021, united with the communities we serve and determined to stand with you, our customers, as we navigate what’s next.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and to once again thank you for your continued custom and support.

Best regards,

Paul Pomroy
Chief Executive Officer, McDonald’s UK and Ireland