KUCHING, 11 November 2018 – As part of the organisation’s innovative plans to modernise experience for customers, McDonald’s Malaysia celebrated the grand opening of its remodelled restaurant, known to the locals as McDonald’s Padungan. A community event to assist the underprivileged community in Sarawak was also held at the remodelled Padungan outlet, which was the first McDonald’s restaurant to open in Sarawak. YBhg Datuk Haji Abdul Wahap bin Haji Abang Julai, the mayor of Kuching North City Commission, was the guest of honour at the grand opening.

“We are celebrating a joyous occasion today as it is the 25th anniversary of this outlet, which happens to be the first McDonald’s restaurant in Sarawak. To make this occasion a momentous one, we are unveiling a fresh new look for the restaurant,” said Managing Director and Local Operating Partner of McDonald’s Malaysia, Azmir Jaafar. 

“We have been progressively modernising McDonald’s restaurants nationwide since late last year and have been rolling them out in stages ever since. This is part of our efforts in creating a modern and welcoming environment while providing our customers with high quality food at great value and exceptional customer service. This restaurant is also the first McDonald’s restaurant in Sarawak to incorporate the table service feature, where customers are given the option of having their food served to them at their tables,” added Azmir. 

According to Azmir, McDonald’s Malaysia’s plan to modernise the look and feel of its restaurants will see investments between RM50 million to RM100 million over the next three to five years.

The transformation of the Padungan restaurant incorporated various new features and innovative customer service concepts, which include: -

1. Table service, where customers can order their meals at the front counter or via one of the ordering screens and choose the option for their food to be served at their chosen table. 
2. Self-ordering kiosks (SOKs), where customers can place their own orders and customise their meals according to their preference.
3. Dual point service that enables customers to order through the SOKs or the front counter, before picking up their food when their order numbers are flashed on screen.
4. Cashless transaction convenience so that customers can easily pay for their meals using credit or debit cards. 
5. Digital menu boards to showcase the menu and on-going promotions, improve customer experience when ordering over the counter.
6. High speed WiFi connectivity for the benefit of always-connected customers.

Datuk Haji Abdul Wahap bin Haji Abang Julai, the mayor of Kuching North City Commission was the guest of honour at the grand opening of the McDonald’s Padungan restaurant. “Companies are constantly improving and evolving according to the shift in customer demands. McDonald’s is one of the companies who are innovating while also staying consistent in their commitment to deliver value to its customers while contributing to the local economy,” said Datuk Haji Abdul Wahap.

McDonald’s Malaysia, under the new ownership of Reza Group, has already committed resources to expand the McDonald’s business in the country. Specifically, as part of the company’s 10-year business growth plan, Reza Group is looking to invest more than RM1.4 billion with a target to have up to 450 restaurants nationwide by 2025 which is estimated to create at least another 10,000 jobs. Today, McDonald’s Malaysia already has more than 270 restaurants in the country with a dedicated workforce of more than 12,000 Malaysians.