McDonald's marks 50th anniversary

Fast-food giant McDonald's celebrated its 50th anniversary last week with the opening of a state-of-the-art 24,000sq ft restaurant and 60ft golden arches in its home town of Chicago.

 

McDonald's now has 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries across the world. But last year saw profits collapse from £84m to £24m following the release of the film Super Size Me and concerns over the nation's diet and health.

 

Recent attempts to improve the McDonald's image have met with a lukewarm reception. However, the fast-food multinational has sold more than 300 million salads since launching the choice on its menus in March 2004 - more than any other fast-food operator.

 

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 21 April 2005