Can you believe it? The golden arches turns 50 in Australia. Yes, McDonald’s hits its 50th anniversary Downunder, and is launching three months of celebrations to mark the occasion.
The celebrations will include a new range of promotions, menu items and unique collaborations from June until the end of August, with new birthday initiatives revealed each week.
It was back in 1971 that the first McDonald’s was opened in the Sydney suburb of Yagoona. In 2021 the global business has more than 1000 outlets across Australia, employing more than 107,000 people and serving a staggering 2 million Aussies daily.
Today, Macca’s is also the largest employer of young people in the country. In the last five decades it has created job opportunities for more than 1.5 million Australians; every new restaurant brings about 120 employment opportunities.
Since McDonald’s became a Registered Training Organisation in 1995, more than 47,000 employees have completed national recognised training courses in retail and food safety.
The CEO McDonald’s Australia, Andrew Gregory, said “We’re proud of our history and the positive difference our 245 franchisees continue to make by providing the best first job in Australia for young people.
“Our franchisees play a critical role in making Macca’s one of the most trusted brands in Australia and we’re looking forward to celebrating our 50th birthday with our people and customers.”
Andrew Gregory said long-standing partnership with Australian farmers and suppliers have been important to the brand’s success.
“We are firm believers in the quality and taste of Australian home grown produce and have always been and remain committed to our local suppliers and supporting more than 15,000 Aussie farmers annually.
” Working together, we continue to find new ways to constantly improve the Macca’s experience for our customers.”
50 years of McDonald’s Australia
2021: Plastic cutlery and straws removed
2020: Sustainability flagship Restaurant 1000 opened
1993: McCafe was launched
1983: First Ronald McDonald House opens
1978: First drive-through opened at Warrawong.
1974: First Australian McDonald’s franchise
Do you want fries with that?
- 1.9 billion+ cheeseburgers sold
- 1.1 billion+ Big Macs sold
- 1.4 billion+ fries sold