Franchise success built on family-
style working philosophy
Franchising with McDonald’s™ South Africa
McDonald’s success is built on a family-style working philosophy with emphasis on
QSC&V (Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value). The McDonald’s family now
stretches right around the world, with over 31 000 restaurants in 120 countries.
Approximately 70% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated
by franchisees – independent local businessmen and women. In South Africa, over
60% of McDonald’s restaurants are franchised. McDonald’s selection process for new
owner-operators (the term McDonald’s uses for their franchisees) is rigorous, but
designed to ensure success for both the applicant and the brand. Key qualities
required to qualify are: sound business judgement, a history of success that
demonstrates entrepreneurial spirit, ability and willingness to complete a nine-month
training process as well as evidence of leadership and ambition. McDonald’s also
requires their owner-operators to devote themselves full-time to the daily operations
of their restaurant and be able to meet the financial requirements of owning a
franchise, which can cost anywhere between R3 million and R7 million in South
Africa.
McDonald’s success depends on uniform operations in every restaurant, as such
training is a top priority. Employee training is compulsory on an ongoing basis, with
regular verification and feedback mechanisms. The McDonald’s turnkey audit and
grading programme is conducted at every restaurant, providing restaurant specific
data to ensure uniformity and enabling benchmarking.
Owner-operators in the McDonald’s family enjoy many advantages, from the
training and support of a solid, global organisation to the provision of business tools
to the owning of a thriving and successful business. McDonald’s unique approach
means that franchisees are in business for themselves, but not by themselves, as the
company actively encourages open exchange of ideas that demonstrate true
partnership and mutual respect between the company and its owner-operators.