Golden Arches Development Corp., which holds the exclusive franchise of McDonald’s in the Philippines, will spend P3 billion in 2019, up 50 percent from this year’s level as the company rolls out more stores and invests in new service platforms.
Golden Arches president and chief executive Kenneth Yang said in an interview at the sidelines of the launching of its first NXTGEN store in McKinley West in Fort Bonifacio the company remained aggressive with the store openings as well as the introduction of new technology that would improve customer experience.
“McDonald’s NXTGEN is a strategic investment as the brand continues to grow in the country. Our goal is to provide a better and more relevant McDonald’s experience in a modern restaurant environment to more Filipinos,” said McDonald’s Philippines president and chief executive officer Kenneth Yang.
NXTGEN, the new service platform of McDonald’s, offers customers the self-ordering kiosks, which allows customers a digitized alternative to order and pay for their McDonald’s favorites.
The kiosks accept Mastercard and Visa card payments, regardless of the issuing bank.
Guests who still prefer to pay in cash may also do so by proceeding to the front counter where there are dedicated lanes, assisted by the modernized menu boards.
McDonald’s Philippines managing director Margot Torres said the company had five stores with NTGEN features. These are McDonald’s McKinley West, McDonald’s Madison (San Juan), Kapitolyo (Pasig), Robinson’s Galleria (Pasig) and Pioneer Reliance (Pasig).
Torres said the company expects 10 percent of its restaurants to follow the NXTGEN store format by 2019 and 70 percent by 2021.
Golden Arches currently operates 604 stores and and plans to expand the network to 620 outlets by the end of the year.
“Beyond just expanding our footprint, continuing to elevate the customer experience through convenience enhancements is our priority. This is the true essence of McDonald’s NXTGEN—it is about evolving with our customers and thriving in this experience economy. This will contribute to the total growth of McDonald’s Philippines,” Torres said.
Golden Arches is a 51:49 joint venture between the Yang family and Alliance Global Group Inc. of business tycoon Andrew Tan.
