Mateusz Madejski, journalist of Business Insider Polska: How many restaurants does McDonald's have in Poland? Where is the ceiling?
Rafał Mikołajczak, Development Director at McDonald's Polska: We have just opened our 600th restaurant in Wolin. This is an important moment for us, another milestone, but on the other hand I wouldn't get too attached to numbers. We are developing dynamically, we treat our business as a marathon, not a sprint.
We see potential for more, we want to open 40-45 premises a year. By 2027, we plan to allocate over PLN 2 billion for investments – opening new restaurants and modernizing approximately 100 existing ones.
Don't you have the impression that the fast restaurant market in Poland is getting crowded?
Traveling around the world, you can notice that in developed countries there are still more restaurants and gastronomic concepts than in Poland. This is quite a good prognosis for us. Another thing is that our country is undergoing a gigantic transformation. Our society is becoming richer, we eat out more and more often. It's not just about the food itself, there is a cultural element to it – we meet in restaurants to spend time with loved ones, talk and build relationships. And you can never have enough of such places.
There are already quite a lot of them in large cities.
That's right, but Poland is not only big cities. There is still a lack of such places in smaller cities – and I must admit that we are very much awaited there. The opening of each McDonald's restaurant always means a new meeting place, but also development for the region and the local community, and real revenues for the central and local budgets. One restaurant has an average of 60 jobs, and what is important – the entire staff is employed on the basis of an employment contract.
So the priority for McDonald's is now smaller towns?
Yes, those that have approx. 20-25 thousand. inhabitants. We are most interested in cities that are located on frequently used roadways. Of course, we do not forget about medium and large cities. We want to increase our presence there, opening up where guests expect us. We most often choose places where we meet guests on the way – coffee or something to eat helps us feel good for the rest of the day.
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Which region of Poland are you focusing on?
We want to develop throughout Poland, we do not exclude any region.
However, the data show a demographic crisis. The situation is especially difficult in smaller towns. Therefore, problems may await new restaurants in such places.
Yes, this is an element that introduces slight uncertainty, which is why we make decisions based on data. We try to open restaurants in places that are least exposed to this type of problems. We are targeting towns with a population of 20-25 thousand. Smaller ones are rarely on our radar.
Restaurants themselves have changed a lot in recent times, especially when it comes to automation. Will people still be needed in restaurants?
Yes, we have done a lot when it comes to digitization. But we also do not want to dehumanize ourselves, direct contact with the customer is very important, hence the role of the hospitality leader in our restaurants. Technological solutions are supposed to improve and facilitate the work of the crew, not take away from it. We have introduced many such changes, e.g. in the kitchen – noticeable to employees, but not always visible to guests.
The rest of the article is below the video
This is how restaurants are going to change
What will change in the coming years?
Interior design for sure. It is important that guests feel as comfortable as possible with us. We are working on new projects – so that each restaurant is slightly different from the others. We are also increasingly introducing special corners and interactive games for families with children. A lot is changing – recent years have shown that we can build to meet the expectations of employees and consumers. For example, new restaurants increasingly often have a double McDrive line, because it is a sales channel frequently chosen by our guests. Parking lots function differently, and there are places for guests who collect orders placed in the mobile application. We constantly analyze the operation of restaurants from many perspectives – guests, employees, safety, road traffic, etc. – and if there is a need or we see a change that has potential, we react.
How are interior designs selected?
We try to adapt to our guests. For example, if the restaurant is located in a city with a large number of families with children, we want the decor to be as friendly as possible. But if it is a place in a big city, we focus on a more “big city”, modern or even minimalist atmosphere. However, we make sure that restaurants within one agglomeration or city are distinguished from each other.
McDonald's restaurant
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Mateusz Madejski / Business Insider Polska
Can the owner of a plot of land come to McDonald's and say that he wants to build a restaurant on it?
No, we don't work that way. Selecting land and implementing the investment – building a restaurant – is a separate process. We propose specific properties to franchisees. Of course, the franchisee can offer his plot of land to McDonald's – but even if such a transaction were to take place, it is not certain that the restaurant would be run there by the person who sold the plot.
Is it easy to acquire new plots?
In small towns this is not a problem. But in the medium and larger ones it becomes quite a challenge. It is difficult for us to compete with large office or residential projects. The prices of such plots can be very high. We are looking for places that are not necessarily very attractive to our guests now, but also places that may attract people in the coming years. And we do not hide the fact that the presence of McDonald's restaurants also greatly affects the attractiveness of a particular place. We generate a lot of traffic, so neighboring shops, other restaurants and service outlets also benefit.
But there are chains – for example Żabka – that like to open in new blocks of flats or office buildings.
We definitely focus on free-standing buildings.
See also: What does it take to have your own McDonald's restaurant? The manager told me step by step
That's how many people feed McDonald's
How many people are fed by McDonald's in Poland?
This is approximately 1.2 million people a day who visit us in all restaurants across the country.
How long does it take to build a restaurant?
The construction itself takes about 3 months.
But?
The entire administrative process takes approximately 18 months and includes, among others: securing real estate, administrative proceedings and this is usually the biggest challenge here. However, construction companies know us well, we have been cooperating with them for years – so the construction itself takes place really quickly. This is, among others, The efficient process of building new facilities allows us to develop so quickly in Poland.
How long have you been in the company?
I joined McDonald's in 1994 as a kitchen worker. It was one of the first restaurants in Poland that was located in the basement of the Central Railway Station in Warsaw, so it has been there for over 30 years. These were interesting and dynamic times in which we quickly learned new things and were able to develop along with the development of the company in Poland.
Four years later, I became the manager of one of the capital's restaurants, and in 2002 I created a new National Operations department. After a few years, I changed my area of expertise by joining the real estate department. My story is not an isolated one – many Service Center employees started their adventure with the company in a restaurant, and today they hold managerial positions in its structures.
Today you are responsible for network development.
Yes, as Development Director, together with my team, I am responsible for the expansion and management of the real estate portfolio we have. So we take care of existing restaurants and open new ones. We are also responsible for the standard, construction and appearance of the premises – so as to make the best use of the potential of specific points on the map. We place great emphasis on functionality and ergonomics so that guests can spend their time the way they like and in comfortable conditions and a friendly environment. Our role is also to take care of our employees. It is for them that we build comfortable workplaces where they want to come back and stay.
