Fast-food lovers will be lovin’ McDonald’s latest 300 million baht investment plan in Thailand
Fast-food lovers will be lovin’ the latest news that McThai Co., the operator of McDonald’s restaurants in Thailand, just announced a massive 300 million baht investment plan that will bring more McDonald’s outlets to the country. The company has upgraded its original plan from 200 million baht after seeing a rise in consumption and the economy.
According to McThai Co., CEO Kittiwan Anuwatesakul, the funds will be used to open 10-15 new restaurants, adding up to about 237-242 outlets by the end of this year. The new restaurants will be strategically located in high-demand areas. More than 30 existing restaurants will also be renovated this year, featuring the latest store design concept with a focus on sustainability and simplicity, reported Bangkok Post.
Kittiwan also revealed that the new restaurants will include digital facilities to cater to Gen Z fast-food customers. She added that the momentum of the quick-service restaurant business has been positive since last year’s fourth quarter, with more people returning to restaurants and sales in tourist destinations improving significantly.
Sales in most tourist destination restaurants have already returned to pre-pandemic levels, and spending per visit has also improved. In response to the recovery of the tourism sector, McThai recently opened its latest branch at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, providing a variety of dishes and premium coffee as well as self-ordering kiosks to create the best possible fast-food customer experience.
The company also plans to restore its existing restaurants located by tourist destinations such as the Ratchadamri branch of McDonald’s, where the number of foreign tourists has reportedly increased. In a related development, McThai recently rolled out new fried chicken dishes at all McDonald’s branches in the country, providing consumers with another alternative and encouraging fans of fried chicken to visit its restaurants.
Foreign tourist arrivals this year are expected to tally 22.5 million, up from 10.2 million in 2022, according to Krungthai Compass, a research unit under Krungthai Bank. Of the total, the research unit anticipates 4.8 million visitors will be Chinese nationals.
Kittiwan said…
“The new McDonald’s fried chicken dishes are an initiative of McDonald’s in Thailand. These dishes will help increase the frequency of customers visiting our stores and broaden our customer base.”
The company expects its sales to grow by 20% this year on the back of the investment plan.
