50 years ago, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in the UK, nestled in Woolwich, London. Since then, our operations have grown to 1,435 restaurants serving almost 4 million customers every day, with the support of our 200 Franchisees and 171,415 crew members.

With five decades under our belt, we’re ready for the future. McDonald’s UK recently announced plans to open over 200 new restaurants in the next four years that will create more than 24,000 new jobs, signaling a £1 billion investment from McDonald’s and its Franchisees in the UK and Ireland. 

The success of McDonald’s UK is underpinned by our commitment to relationships and a deep-rooted belief that we are at our best when the brand, our Franchisees and suppliers all work together to deliver for the customers and the communities we serve. We’re proud of the social and economic impact we’ve achieved.

How does this impact come to life? McDonald’s UK measured impact and are sharing their findings in celebration of this milestone anniversary. Here’s a glimpse at some of the key takeaways. 

1. Since 1974, McDonald’s UK’s cumulative impact on UK economic output (Gross Value Added) has been approximately £94.95 billion*: The scale of McDonald’s UK’s restaurant portfolio, coupled with our strong relationship with the hundreds of UK businesses in our supply chain, means that we make a major contribution to the UK economy. Fun fact: we have a presence in every region of the UK!

*2023 prices

2. In 2023, over 170,000 people worked at McDonald’s across the UK: Our people are at the heart of what we do at McDonald’s, and we believe in supporting each and every one of them, investing £62.5 million in training in 2023. We’re also committed to career progression opportunities for young people. 81,000 members of our current UK workforce were hired when they were under 18, and almost 20,000 of them have developed and progressed in their career with us including: 14 franchisees; 2 Directors of Operations; 28 Operations or Franchisee Consultants; and over 100 of our Corporate Employees. 

3. During 2023, together with our franchisees, suppliers and customers, McDonald’s UK raised £10.3 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities® UK (RMHC®): Since its founding in 1989, RMHC UK has provided free accommodation and support to more than 95,000 families with sick children in hospital, and McDonald’s has raised over £100 million in support of these efforts. In 2024, the charity celebrates its 35th birthday, and it’s expected that they will welcome their 100,000th family into a Ronald McDonald House.

4. Reduced carbon emissions from McDonald’s UK’s logistics fleet are equivalent to taking 19,900 cars off the road each year: Working closely with our logistics partner, Martin Brower, we have been able to reduce the emissions associated with delivering ingredients and packaging to our network of restaurants. 40% of the fuel used to power our logistics fleet comes from biodiesel, reducing our carbon emissions by 16,250 tons each year when compared to traditional fleet.

5. McDonald’s UK partners with hundreds of UK suppliers, providing support to many small and medium-sized businesses including over 23,000 British and Irish farmers that provide our ingredients: In 2023, our total direct expenditure with UK-based supply chain businesses amounted to more than £2.09 billion, with a total of £51.56 billion spent over the 50 years since opening. Where possible, we seek to source goods and services domestically, with more than 80% of our supply chain expenditure directed to businesses with a presence in the UK, helping to drive growth in the wider economy. 

To view the full impact report, click here.