McDonald's New Zealand

McDonald's New Zealand
Subsidiary
Industry Restaurant
Genre Fast food
Founded 4 November 1975 (incorporation)[1]
7 June 1976 (first restaurant)
Headquarters Greenlane, Auckland, New Zealand
Number of locations
 167 (as of 2017)[2]
Area served
 New Zealand
Key people
 David Howse (Managing Director)[2]
Products
Services Franchising
Parent McDonald's Corporation
Subsidiaries Georgie Pie
Website mcdonalds.co.nz

McDonald's Restaurants (New Zealand) Limited[1] is the New Zealand subsidiary of the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. Its first location opened in 1976.[3] McDonald's New Zealand currently has over 160 restaurants operating nationwide,[4] serving an estimated one million people each week.[5]

As with McDonald's locations worldwide, the franchise primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes, the company has expanded its menu to include salads, fish, wraps, smoothies, and fruit. The company also operates the Georgie Pie and McCafé chains within many of its stores; through the latter McDonald's is the largest coffee shop brand in the country.[6]

McDonald's New Zealand operations are based in Greenlane, Auckland.[7]

History

1970s

New Zealand's first McDonald's restaurant, Porirua, 1976

The first McDonald's restaurant in New Zealand opened on Cobham Court in central Porirua on Monday 7 June 1976, however it was not officially opened until the following Saturday. The original menu featured the Big Mac (75 cents), Quarter Pounder (65c), Quarter Pounder with Cheese (75c), Filet-O-Fish (65c), cheeseburger (40c) and hamburger (30c).[8]

Problems were encountered opening the restaurant due to strict import laws at the time, which limited importing of overseas products that could be produced in New Zealand. The kitchen for the Porirua restaurant was imported on the condition that it was to allow local companies to reproduce it, and it was to be sent back after 12 months. However, the kitchen had been cemented into the floor and removing parts of it while still maintaining the restaurant operation meant it was impossible. The New Zealand affiliate eventually negotiated with the Corporation to import more kitchens in exchange for a large surplus of cheese the New Zealand Dairy Board (now Fonterra) had.[9]

Once the Porirua restaurant was open, there were additional problems with the supply chain, with frequent industrial unrest often shutting down suppliers without warning for weeks on end. An industrial dispute shut down the bun supplier in mid-1976, resulting in McDonald's staff having to drive all over Wellington to find substitute buns, and then cutting the sesame seed buns for the Big Mac using two bandsaws placed side-by-side.[10] Beef patties were initially supplied from the Gear Meat Company in Petone, although supply was haphazard until a purpose-built meat forming machine was acquired in 1977. Like many other companies at the time, Gear Meat was plagued by industrial unrest and closed down without warning in 1982, leaving McDonald's to import beef patties from Australia. The affiliate acquired Gear Meat's patty-forming machine and moved it to Auckland to secure production.[11] By coincidence, part of Gear Meat's former site now contains a McDonald's restaurant.

The Auckland Savings Bank Building on Queen Street, Auckland CBD, pictured in 2008. It has contained a McDonalds restaurant since 1977.

The second New Zealand restaurant opened in the old Auckland Savings Bank Building on Queen Street, Auckland in July 1977. Restaurants in New Lynn and Lower Hutt opened in 1978, being the first restaurants with drive-throughs. By the end of the decade, restaurants had also opened in Takapuna, Henderson, and Courtenay Place (central Wellington).[12]

1980s

Expansion in the first ten years was initially limited to the North Island. The first South Island restaurants opened on 3 November 1987 at Merivale and Linwood in Christchurch.[13] Problems finding franchisees meant the opening of the third restaurant at Riccarton was delayed until later, while the franchisees of the Whangarei restaurant transferred south to the Merivale restaurant on the possibility of a second restaurant in the future. Both restaurants almost broke worldwide opening day records, just losing the title due to a poor exchange rate.[14]

1990s

A McDonald's restaurant with a McCafé in Petone, Lower Hutt

The 50th New Zealand McDonald's restaurant opened in 1991 at Chartwell Square Mall, Hamilton. The 100th restaurant opened five years later at the Auckland University of Technology. Breakfast meals were introduced in the same year, first at the Auckland Queen Street restaurant before expanding nationally.[3]

McDonald's purchased the fast-food chain Georgie Pie from Progressive Enterprises in 1996. The Georgie Pie chain closed in 1998, with half of the 32 restaurants converting to McDonald's and the remainder sold off.[15]

From 1997-1999 the company endorsed McDonald's Young Entertainers, a talent show for young New Zealanders.[16]

2000s

In 2004, the Happy Meal children's menu celebrated 25 years since its introduction in 1979. In the same year, nutrition labelling was introduced to packaging on McDonald's core menu items.[3]

In 2009, the original Porirua McDonald's restaurant in Cobham Court closed, replaced by a new restaurant with drive-through a short distance away in Kenepuru Drive.[17]

2010s

In May 2013, McDonald's announced it would bring Georgie Pie back on a trial basis, selling a single pie flavour through several McDonald's restaurants in the Upper North Island. Later in October, it announced it would roll out Georgie Pie to all McDonald's restaurants nationwide, excluding those who could not accommodate the necessary equipment.[18]

Create your taste

In 2014 McDonald's introduced 'Create Your Taste' to New Zealand. The customer creates a gourmet burger from scratch on the touch-screen "kiosk" and the burger, fries and drink are delivered to them at their table. A related competition invited customers to submit their burger creations to the McDonald's website and relied on users to vote for their favourite design. The competition was pulled in July 2016 after website users created burgers with offensive names.[19]

All Day Breakfast

Following the United States and Australia, McDonald's launched the All Day Breakfast menu in New Zealand on May 4, 2016. The menu consists of a limited range of breakfast products, which are:

  • Hotcakes
  • Hashbrown
  • NYC and BLT Bagels
  • Bacon and Egg McMuffin
  • Chicken McMuffin
  • Chicken and Bacon McMuffin

40th Anniversary

McDonald's celebrated 40 years in New Zealand on 7 June 2016; the Queen Street Auckland restaurant marked the anniversary with 1970s retro service and items on the original menu sold at their 1976 prices.[20] At that date, McDonald's had 166 restaurants operating in New Zealand; a 167th restaurant at Silverstream, Upper Hutt was closed awaiting rebuilding after it caught fire in February 2016.[21]

Delivery

McDonald's announced McDelivery, a delivery service, would start being trialed in Auckland starting 20 July 2016 in New Lynn and Glenfield. All deliveries will require a $25 order and comes with a $7.50 delivery fee.[22]

Products

The McDonald's Kiwiburger

McDonald's New Zealand sells products consistent with its international markets – including the chain's signature product, the Big Mac. Items unique to the New Zealand menu include:

  • Kiwiburger – A take on the classic New Zealand hamburger: quarter-pound beef patty, egg, lettuce, tomato, beetroot, onion, ketchup and mustard.[23] Introduced in 1991 as a permanent menu item but withdrawn in 2004 due to complications with the egg and beetroot. It has returned as a limited-time item in 2007, 2009 and every year from 2011 to 2015.
  • Kiwi Big Breakfast – similar to the international Big Breakfast, containing toasted English muffins, scrambled eggs and hash brown, but with the noticeable difference being link sausages instead of sausage patties. This product is not available on the All Day Breakfast menu.
  • Massive McMuffin – bacon, egg, cheese, two sausage patties and ketchup between two English muffins. This product is not available on the All Day Breakfast menu.
  • Georgie Pie – A flaking pie pastry containing either Steak Mince And Cheese or Bacon and Egg.
  • The Boss – A double-patty burger with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and Swiss cheese.
  • Breakfast Bagels – bagels on the breakfast menu that come in two flavours: NYC Benedict or BLT. These products are available on the All Day Breakfast menu.
  • Chicken McMuffin – a McChicken patty on two English Muffins with a slice of cheese and mayonnaise.

Employment relations

McDonald's New Zealand has union representation.[24] This has led to demands for equal pay with other fast food sector employees, such as those in KFC.[25] There were also protests about favouritism of police officers and the accused harassment of one member staff for being gay.[26] The demand for higher wages ultimately led to a strike which began on 22 May 2013 in the Bunny St McDonald's in Wellington.[25]

In May 2013, the Fifth National Government reintroduced a youth minimum wage for 16- and 17-year-olds at 80 percent of the adult minimum wage. McDonald's was one of seven major companies employing young people to reject a youth minimum wage and insisting young employees be paid at least the adult minimum wage.[27]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "McDonald's Restaurants (New Zealand) Limited -- Companies Office". Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Organisation | McDonald's New Zealand". Mcdonalds.co.nz. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Macca's Story | McDonald's New Zealand". Mcdonalds.co.nz. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Big NZ plans for big US burgers". Television New Zealand. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  5. ↑ "About Macca's - McDonald's New Zealand". mcdonalds.co.nz.
  6. ↑ Horovitz, Bruce (2003-05-20). "It's Back to Basics for McDonald's". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  7. ↑ "Contact Us | McDonald's New Zealand". mcdonalds.co.nz. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Hepözden, p. 39
  9. ↑ Hepözden, p. 65
  10. ↑ Hepözden, p. 68
  11. ↑ Hepözden, p. 83-4
  12. ↑ Hepözden, p. 50
  13. ↑ "First McDonald's restaurants in the South Island celebrate 30 years". Stuff.
  14. ↑ Hepözden, pp. 112–5
  15. ↑ "Georgie Pie helps lift sales at McDonald's". The New Zealand Herald. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  16. ↑ "'Big Dane': big heart - and dreams". Stuff.
  17. ↑ Hepözden, p. 163
  18. ↑ "McDonald's takes Georgie Pie nationwide". Fairfax New Zealand. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  19. ↑ Barrell, Ryan (21 July 2016). "McDonald's Decided To Let The Internet Design Burgers And It All Went Very Wrong". Huffington Post. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  20. ↑ "A Big Mac for 75c? McDonald's goes back 40 years, takes prices with it". 7 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Livingston, Tommy; Nicholl, Jared (12 February 2016). "Huge fire at Silverstream McDonald's is extinguished". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  22. ↑ "KFC keeps eye on home delivery trial by rival". New Zealand Herald. 21 July 2016. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "Kiwiburger | McDonald's New Zealand". mcdonalds.co.nz. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  24. ↑ "Dan Gallin interview: The Transcript". www.mcspotlight.org.
  25. 1 2 "New Zealand: McDonald's hit by first ever strike in Wellington". 6 September 2016.
  26. ↑ "McDonald's workers protest police discount". Television New Zealand. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  27. ↑ Backhouse, Matthew; Shuttleworth, Kate (1 May 2013). "Supermarkets still considering new youth wage". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2013.

Further reading

  • Hepözden, Rosemary (2011). O'Flaherty, Brian, ed. Golden Arches under Southern Skies: Celebrating 35 years of McDonald's in New Zealand. in co-op with McDonald's Restaurants (NZ) Ltd. Auckland: Renaissance Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9864521-1-6.
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