McDonald’s $1 billion burger bonanza expansion plan with 100 new restaurants across Australia that will create 40,000 new jobs

A man who has been working at McDonald’s since he was a teenager has revealed his billion-dollar plan to bring the fast-food giant to 100 new locations.

Newly appointed McDonald’s Australia boss Antoni Martinez, 37, will oversee McDonald’s biggest expansion strategy since the 1990s, starting this year.

Over the next three years, McDonald’s plans to spend $600 million opening more than 100 new locations and $450 million renovating existing restaurants.

The plan will increase the number of McDonald’s in Australia from 1,020 to more than 1,100 and create 40,000 new jobs on top of the current 115,000 employees.

“I just think when you look at our performance right now, it’s a great opportunity for us to accelerate that growth,” Mr. Martinez told the Australian weekend.

‘…It tells us that Australians are very interested in seeing more McDonald’s in their local communities. We’re seeing growth in a country with transportation hubs that really provide a great opportunity for McDonald’s to look to accelerate that growth.”

Martinez, who started working at McDonald’s as a teenager cooking hamburgers, recently took over as head of McDonald’s Australia after a two-year stint at the helm of the chain in South Korea.

He believes McDonald’s customers have become more convenience-oriented since the Covid pandemic.

A key focus of the new strategy will be improving the MyMaccas app rewards program, launched in March last year, which allows customers to accumulate points that can be redeemed for menu favorites.

In the past year, customers have redeemed more than 14 million rewards, including seven million McCafé drinks, one million Large French Fries and 730,000 Big Macs.

“Continuing to highlight the value that customers place on convenience, their ability to interact with the MyMaccas app…provides another platform for customers to interact with their favorite brands,” said Mr. Martinez.

One of the challenges facing expansion is people’s increasingly tight budgets as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.

Martinez said McDonald’s will combat this by working to keep its prices low.

“Customers tell us that they definitely see coming to McDonald’s as a pleasure. You see some changes throughout the day and how customers react,” he said.

‘…Customers are looking for great value and it’s not just about price, it’s about when they come and visit us, they want great food, a great experience and great customer service too.’

Antoni Martínez (above) said the fast food giant will spend $600 million opening new stores and $450 million renovating existing restaurants.

However, Australian reaction to the new plan has so far been largely negative, with many saying McDonald’s is the last thing they want to see anymore.

Comments on the Weekend Australian article read: ‘Why is this being celebrated? No wonder our population is unhealthy.

‘I would prefer regular store burgers to McDonald’s as the price used to be [make it] an option, but now the price of Maccas is too high and the quality is low,” commented another.

“Given the new suburbs with no facilities that NSW governments continue to produce, perhaps having Maccas implement schools and hospitals could work,” wrote a third.

I am sixty years old and have eaten at McDonalds twice in my life. I’m still baffled why I came back the second time,” said another.