Riyadh - Buoyed by the visit of over 30 million customers every year, the Riyadh International Catering Corp. (RICC), which owns and operates McDonald's fast food outlets in the Kingdom, has embarked on an ambitious plan to open about 50 new trendy outlets over the next five years. The old McDonald's outlets will be spruced up under this plan with new furnishings and new additions to their menu, which conform to the special dietary laws of the Kingdom.
"The move to expand the Saudi operation of McDonald's Corp. will create hundreds of thousands of job opportunities for Saudi nationals," said Prince Mishal Ibn Khalid Al-Saud, RICC's president, while giving an overview of the plans and policies of McDonald's group. The RICC, he said, was currently operating 60 McDonald's restaurants in the Kingdom. The RICC is the sole franchisee of the largest fast food chain in the Central and Eastern Regions of Saudi Arabia.
In the interview, Prince Mishal said that McDonald's had been supporting many community and charitable projects. He said: "The RICC's funds for donation next year has been 100 percent earmarked for the INSAN Association of Saudi Arabia." The association works for the rehabilitation of orphan children under the leadership of Prince Faisal Ibn Salman, chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG).
The RICC made a donation of SR183,000 this year to INSAN in response to an appeal made by the UNICEF on the occasion of the World Children's Day. "As part of the social commitment, McDonald's also supported the Riyadh-based Disabled Children's Association and extended support to a major traffic campaign recently," said Prince Mishal. The local McDonald's operation is currently supporting an ongoing water conservation campaign launched by the Ministry of Water and Electricity.
He said that the uniforms of McDonald's crew in Saudi Arabia had been changed and now included a sober colored (red, blue or green) T-shirt with a bright logo.
Besides the change in the uniform, McDonald's drive-throughs have their separate stations for ordering, paying for and picking up orders. The company is also trying to seek new sites for opening future outlets across the country.
By M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan
© Arab News 2005
