By Business & Finance McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland officially opened its new drive-thru restaurant in Dublin Airport today. The global chain has invested €2m into the new restaurant and plans to deliver 60 new jobs as a result.
The new dual lane drive-thru restaurant, open 24/7, is based on the main exit road from Dublin Airport, located close to the M1 and M50.
The delivery of the 60 jobs is the latest phase in McDonald’s expansion plans and commitment to create 700 new jobs and open 12 new restaurants, investing over €20m in McDonald’s Ireland by the end of 2015. The restaurant will be McDonald’s third new opening in 2014, following on from Carrickmines and Kilkenny earlier in the year.
Commenting on the opening, McDonald’s Ireland managing director Adrian Crean said: “We are very pleased to expand our presence at Dublin Airport, adding to our existing restaurant within the terminal building while delivering on our jobs promise. Our continuing expansion plans mean that we are able to increase not only the jobs we directly create for the Irish economy, but also the amount of locally sourced Irish agricultural produce that we purchase, including Bord Bia Quality Assured Irish beef, bacon, eggs, dairy produce and bottled water, thereby helping to sustain jobs in the agri-food sector.
“We are also delighted to welcome 60 new enthusiastic local staff to the McDonald’s team and we look forward to serving customers from all over Ireland in the restaurant as they pass through our excellent airport here in Dublin.”
Vincent Harrison, managing director of DAA welcomed the announcement, saying: “We have had a good relationship with McDonald’s since they opened in Terminal 1 in 2000. This new drive-thru restaurant is a great addition to the airport and a fantastic option for passengers exiting the airport campus. The restaurant is bright, inviting and has embraced modern lifestyles with free Wi-Fi and iPads for customers to use. This McDonald’s is already proving to be very popular with both passengers and airport staff.”
President of Fingal Chamber of Commerce, Siobhan Kinsella, concluded: “Fingal Dublin Chamber is delighted to welcome this excellent new restaurant to Dublin Airport. McDonald’s is a global brand recognised for its excellence, quality and customer care, all of which the Chamber fully supports.”
The restaurant is the first two storey drive-thru McDonald’s in Ireland and features state-of-the art technology which is now standard across all new McDonald’s restaurants in Ireland. McDonald’s has invested a total of €64m in opening new restaurants and refurbishing existing restaurants in Ireland over the past six years. The company has created 1,200 new jobs during this time. The new McDonald’s restaurant in Dublin Airport will bring the total number of McDonald’s restaurants in Ireland to 86, with a workforce of approximately 4,500 employees.
