McDonald's Embraces Olympics Recruiting Role

8/15/2012

(ATR) McDonald’s head of global alliances tells Around the Rings he expects Hamburger Universities to again play a role at the Olympics in recruiting and training Games volunteers.

The fast-food giant recruited and trained all 70,000 so-called “Games Makers” here in London, says John Lewicki, and plans to do so again for future events the company sponsors.

“Everyone of our host countries going forward, whether it be for the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, is already talking to the organizing committees about how we can be involved with training their volunteers,” he tells ATR.

“It’s a little different in different parts of the world. We have seven Hamburger Universities throughout the world. Certainly with Brazil, we are in that dialogue for both Rio and the World Cup.”

He also says that everyone trained through a McDonald’s course in the U.K. can receive credit toward a hospitality college certificate.

Lewicki was speaking to ATR inside the world’s largest McDonald’s, a two-floor 32,000 square foot behemoth adjacent to the Olympic Stadium in London.

Virtually all of the restaurant will be dismantled and recycled following the 2012 Games. Lewicki says the restaurant will be a model for how McDonald’s builds restaurants at future Games.

He says sales at the Olympic Park location are “unprecedented.”

“We’re almost 100 percent above all of our projections,” he tells ATR.   

“The first couple of days we put our crew under a little bit of stress, but they rallied unbelievably.”

He says there are no exact sales figures, as the first week’s numbers are still being tallied, but notes that McDonald’s has had a “pretty high capture rate” and the restaurant has remained busy.

Being arguably the most visible Olympic sponsor doesn’t add any pressure to McDonald’s, according to Lewicki.

“The number of fans that are coming into our restaurants, the only pressure we feel is to make sure we’re servicing them appropriately and giving them a good hot, fresh, quality meal. Other than that, we’re proud to be here and proud to be one of the main places people go.”

Lewicki says McDonald’s has a simple vision for what will make a successful London 2012.

“To get our message out and talk about the quality food we provide for anybody and everybody who comes to the Games.”

He’s also slow to pick a favorite McDonald’s item.

“There are so many,” he says contemplatively. “I love our smoothies now…what we call a McDouble. Let me tell you, when I was in college, I used to be able eat a couple quarter pounders and fries and shakes – that used to be my drink. Now I’ve dialed it back a bit.”

Written by Ed Hula III.

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