McDonald's to open five new Irish restaurants each year for five years in €150m expansion

Fast food giant is Ireland's largest single purchaser of Irish beef

The newly opened McDonald's restaurant and drive thru in New Ross, Co Wexford.

Fast food giant McDonald’s plans to open 25 new restaurants across Ireland over the next five years, investing €150m in expanding its operations here.

The company said that approximately 1,750 new jobs will be added through the addition of five new restaurants each year, with McDonald's planning to open its 100th restaurant in Ireland next year, which will coincide with its 50th anniversary since first establishing a presence in Ireland on Dublin's Grafton Street.

Last month, McDonald's opened a new outlet in New Ross, Co Wexford, which is the first new restaurant in two years. Cork franchisee Jim Ronayne recently completed a €3m refurbishment of the McDonald's outlet in Douglas. In Cork, McDonald’s employs over 1,100 people and said it contributes an estimated €37.6m in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the local economy.

Pictured at the McDonald’s Business Breakfast in Douglas were Andrew Moys, Vice President, Impact, McDonald’s UK & Ireland, Jerry Buttimer TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and T.D. for Cork South-Central and Jim Ronayne, McDonald’s Franchisee.  Picture: Gerard McCarthy

Today, McDonald's operates 96 restaurants in Ireland. The company does not operate any restaurants here directly; they are all owned by 18 franchisees. The company is the single largest global customer of Irish beef.

Their expansion in Ireland comes as increased competition from a number of other US-based fast food chains, with Taco Bell, Wendy's and Popeyes all opening chains here in Ireland in recent months.

Mike Spencer, Vice President, Development at McDonald’s UK & Ireland, said: “The outlook for McDonald’s in Ireland is very positive, and we have a clear plan to invest more than €150 million here over the next five years. That investment will support the opening of up to five new restaurants each year - around 25 in total - and the creation of approximately 1,750 new jobs across the country.

We plan that our 50th anniversary in Ireland next year will coincide with the opening of our 100th restaurant in Ireland.”