McDonald's planning new drive thru outlet in Cork

Fast food giant is in expansion mode planning five new restaurants each year

McDonald's operates 96 restaurants in Ireland. The company does not operate any restaurants here directly; they are all owned by 18 franchisees.

McDonald's is planning a new drive-thru restaurant in Cork's Fota Retail Park near Carrigtwohill.

The fast food giant is investing €150m to open 25 new restaurants across Ireland over the next five years despite increased competition from rival fast food chains expanding rapidly across Ireland. 

In a new planning application, the company is seeking permission from Cork County Council for the new outlet on lands at Fota Retail & Business Park, Carrigtwohill. 

The development will consist of the construction of a single-storey drive-thru restaurant including signage, car parking, EV charging spaces, bicycle parking, a height restrictor, customer order points with associated canopies, totem signage, digital menu boards and outdoor furniture/seating area.

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. 

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. In Cork, McDonald’s employs over 1,100 people

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.