A widespread IT malfunction struck McDonald’s on Friday, causing disruptions across its global network, impacting operations in key markets including the United States, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.
According to Brian Rice, McDonald’s global chief information officer, the incident occurred around 1 a.m. ET and was swiftly identified and rectified. Rice clarified that the issue stemmed from a configuration change by a third-party provider and not from a cybersecurity breach.
While many markets have restored functionality, some are still in the process of recovery from the outage, which affected essential functions including online and app-based orders.
In New York, a McDonald’s outlet experienced system downtime from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., while similar disruptions were reported in Japan, prompting temporary suspensions of operations in multiple stores.
Maria Avram, an employee at a McDonald’s outlet in London, recounted a system outage during peak hours, forcing staff to resort to manual order taking and kitchen communication.
McDonald’s Australia confirmed nationwide disruptions, while Hong Kong and Taiwan also faced challenges, with services temporarily suspended due to the system failure.
Despite the setback, McDonald’s reassured customers of its commitment to resolving the issue promptly, with investigations underway and necessary repairs being undertaken.
The incident compounds challenges for McDonald’s, which has faced a turbulent start to the year, grappling with business impacts from the conflict in the Middle East and facing boycotts in several markets in the region, including Malaysia and Indonesia.
With over 41,800 stores globally, McDonald’s remains a prominent presence in the fast-food industry, emphasizing the urgency of swiftly addressing technical glitches to ensure seamless customer experiences.
