McDonald's, 35 Years in Korea... 4.6 Visitors Every Second

From 3,000 Daily Customers to 400,000
132x Employment Increase Since '88, Oldest Crew Member 80 Years Old
Domestic Ingredients & Eco-Friendly... Positive Social Impact Overall

McDonald's, which first opened its doors in Korea in 1988, the year the Seoul Olympics were held, celebrated its 35th anniversary on the 29th.

On this day, McDonald's stated, "In 1988, McDonald's had daily sales of 1.7 billion KRW with an average of 3,000 visitors per day. It has now established itself as the industry's number one brand with sales exceeding 1 trillion KRW and about 400,000 visitors daily." This means approximately 4.6 customers visit McDonald's every second.

McDonald's introduced Korea's first drive-thru (DT), 'McDrive,' in 1992, and in 2005, it became the first in the industry to operate stores 24 hours a day. In 2006, it launched the industry's first breakfast menu, 'McMorning,' and in 2007, it introduced the delivery order platform 'McDelivery.' They also explained that recent digital innovations in ordering and payment services include the introduction of a Hi-Pass payment system for drive-thru customers.

As times have changed, so have the ways customers enjoy McDonald's. In the 1990s and 2000s, the 'Bulgogi Burger' was the most popular, in the 2010s the 'McSpicy Shanghai Burger,' and in the 2020s, the 'Big Mac' is the most sought-after. The number of customers using DT annually increased 4.3 times from 10 million in 2012 to 43 million in 2022. Since COVID-19, non-face-to-face orders through delivery and DT have surpassed the proportion of customers dining inside stores.

McDonald's has aimed for 'open recruitment' without discrimination based on age, education, gender, or disability, influencing the domestic employment market as well. Starting with about 140 employees when the first store opened, McDonald's now operates over 400 stores nationwide with 18,540 employees (including franchisees). This is an approximately 132-fold increase over 35 years.

The proportion of female employees has exceeded 50%, and the proportion of female executives is also 47%, far surpassing the average of 6.3% among Korea's top 500 companies. In the past five years, 3,590 housewife crew members have been newly hired, with 567 senior crew members and 192 crew members with disabilities currently employed. The oldest senior crew member is 80 years old, and the longest-serving crew member with a disability has been with the company for 21 years.

Since starting the 'Taste of Korea' project in 2021, McDonald's currently uses 60% domestic ingredients overall. 'Sales of Korean taste menu items featuring domestic ingredients, such as the 'Changnyeong Garlic Burger' and 'Boseong Nokdon Burger,' have reached 10 million units.

Kim Gi-won, CEO of McDonald's Korea, said, "The reason McDonald's has been able to celebrate its 35th anniversary is thanks to the great love and support from our customers," adding, "For the next 35 years, McDonald's will provide the best service and menu and continue to fulfill its social responsibilities in Korean society."