Olympic Park McDonald's

Olympic Park McDonald's was a purpose-built, temporary McDonald's restaurant created for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London. It stood in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, approximately 200 yards (180 metres) from the Olympic Stadium, and operated for the six-week period covering the Games before being dismantled. The restaurant was developed within McDonald's sponsorship and partnership arrangement with the International Olympic Committee, making it both a major event food-service venue and a highly visible expression of the corporation's Olympic marketing presence. At 32,000 square feet (about 3,000 square metres) across two floors, the venue was described as the world's largest McDonald's restaurant during its operation. It had seating for approximately 1,500 people and served around 14,000 customers per day. Its scale reflected the exceptional concentration of spectators, athletes, staff and visitors in the Olympic Park rather than an intention to establish a permanent restaurant. McDonald's assembled a workforce of about 2,000 people for the venue, with roughly 500 employees working during opening hours. Many were selected from high-performing McDonald's employees from across the United Kingdom. The restaurant served familiar McDonald's products at unusually large event volumes. Estimates associated with its six-week operation include approximately 50,000 Big Mac burgers and 180,000 servings of fries. The International Olympic Committee restricted the sale of chips by other vendors in the Olympic Park unless they were served with fish, a measure intended to protect the official sponsor from direct competition. This arrangement contributed to public discussion about commercial exclusivity at the Games. The venue also functioned as a showcase for McDonald's design and operational initiatives. It was the first McDonald's location to introduce a new employee uniform designed by Wayne Hemingway. The building's interior has subsequently been identified by scholar Emirhan Avcı as displaying characteristics associated with the Frutiger Aero aesthetic. Sustainability was incorporated into the temporary construction plan: much of the upper floor used recycled timber, and approximately 75 percent of the construction materials were designed for reuse or recycling after the Games. The building took six weeks to construct and four weeks to dismantle. Around 5,500 components, including furniture, kitchen equipment, electrical items, air-conditioning units and timber, were reused across approximately 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in the United Kingdom, while plastic components and other unsuitable materials were recycled. The restaurant attracted criticism because of McDonald's role as an Olympic partner and the perceived tension between the Games' promotion of athletic performance and the marketing of fast food. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges criticised the partnership, and Londoners interviewed by Voice of America expressed similar concerns. After the Paralympic Games concluded, the restaurant closed permanently and was removed. Olympic Park McDonald's therefore survives primarily as a notable temporary venue, an example of large-scale event retail, Olympic sponsorship activation and planned material reuse rather than as an ongoing consumer-facing location.

Olympic Park McDonald's was conceived as a temporary restaurant for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. McDonald's was an official sponsor and partner of the International Olympic Committee, and the restaurant formed part of the corporation's physical presence within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Its location, roughly 200 yards from the Olympic Stadium, placed it among the principal visitor facilities of the Games. Construction took six weeks. The completed building covered 32,000 square feet, or approximately 3,000 square metres, over two floors. During the Games it was identified as the largest McDonald's restaurant in the world. The venue could seat about 1,500 customers and handled approximately 14,000 people each day. Its staff numbered around 2,000 in total, with approximately 500 working during opening hours. McDonald's recruited many employees from its best-performing restaurants across the United Kingdom, treating the location as a high-profile operational showcase as well as an event restaurant. The restaurant sold standard McDonald's fast-food products, including Big Macs and fries, at volumes suited to the Olympic crowds. Estimates for the six-week period include 50,000 Big Macs and 180,000 servings of fries. Olympic Park food-vending arrangements also gave McDonald's significant protection from direct competition: the International Olympic Committee did not permit other vendors in the park to sell chips unless they were accompanied by fish. The building incorporated several design and operational features. It was the first McDonald's location to debut a new employee uniform designed by Wayne Hemingway. Academic commentary has associated its interior design with the Frutiger Aero style. The project also emphasized temporary construction and material recovery. About 75 percent of the construction materials were designed for reuse or recycling, while much of the upper floor was made from recycled timber. Jill McDonald, then chief executive of McDonald's UK, described sustainability as a consideration in the building's design. Once the Olympic and Paralympic events were complete, the restaurant was closed and dismantled over four weeks. Approximately 5,500 items, including furniture, kitchen equipment, electrical components, air-conditioning units and timber, were reused in about 1,200 McDonald's restaurants around the United Kingdom. Plastic and other materials that could not be reused were recycled. The venue consequently had a short commercial life but a continuing material legacy within McDonald's UK operations. The restaurant and its sponsorship context generated criticism in the United Kingdom. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges objected to the association between an international sporting event and a fast-food corporation, viewing it as inconsistent with public-health messaging and the promotion of athleticism. Londoners interviewed by Voice of America also expressed disapproval. These objections did not prevent the restaurant from operating, but they made Olympic Park McDonald's an example of the reputational tensions that can accompany sports sponsorship by major food and beverage brands. After its dismantling, the site ceased to exist as a McDonald's location.

• 2012

  Temporary Olympic Park restaurant constructed

  [1]Olympic Park McDonald'sen.wikipedia.org

  McDonald's built a two-storey, 32,000-square-foot restaurant in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

• 2012

  Venue operates as the world's largest McDonald's

  [1]Olympic Park McDonald'sen.wikipedia.org

  During its six-week operating period, the restaurant seated approximately 1,500 people and served about 14,000 customers daily.

• 2012

  New employee uniform introduced

  [1]Olympic Park McDonald'sen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant became the first McDonald's location to use an employee uniform designed by Wayne Hemingway.

• 2012

  Restaurant dismantled after the Games

  [1]Olympic Park McDonald'sen.wikipedia.org

  After the Olympic and Paralympic events, the temporary building was removed and most of its usable components were redistributed or recycled.

A high-capacity, temporary Olympic Park food-service venue and sponsorship showcase operated under the McDonald's brand.

• Hamburger

  Big Mac

  The Big Mac was one of the named McDonald's products served at the Olympic Park venue. Approximately 50,000 Big Mac burgers were estimated to have been sold during the restaurant's six-week operation.

• Side dish

  French fries

  French fries were a major part of the restaurant's high-volume menu. The venue is estimated to have served approximately 180,000 portions during the Games.

• Fast-food menu · 2012

  McDonald's Olympic Park menu

  The temporary restaurant served McDonald's fast-food offerings to spectators, staff and visitors. The available reference material identifies the venue's general McDonald's menu and specific sales estimates for Big Macs and fries but does not provide a complete itemized menu.

• 2012

  Criticism of McDonald's as an Olympic partner

  The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and some Londoners criticised the partnership because they viewed the promotion of McDonald's fast food as inconsistent with the Olympic emphasis on athleticism, health and physical performance.

  Source

Read more

• 2012London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship activation

  United Kingdom · International Olympic audience

  McDonald's used the temporary Olympic Park restaurant as a physical activation of its official sponsorship and partnership with the International Olympic Committee. The venue combined large-scale food service, branded design, employee presentation and visibility near the Olympic Stadium.

  Outcome. The restaurant operated for six weeks, became the world's largest McDonald's location during that period and was dismantled after the Games.

  Source

• 2012

  Build a temporary high-capacity Olympic Park restaurantStrategy

  Background

  McDonald's needed a prominent food-service presence as an official sponsor of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, while the Olympic Park was expected to receive unusually large crowds.

  Action taken

  The company constructed a two-storey, 32,000-square-foot temporary restaurant near the Olympic Stadium, staffed it with approximately 2,000 employees and operated it throughout the Games.

  Aftermath

  The venue served approximately 14,000 people daily and was dismantled after six weeks, with substantial reuse and recycling of its materials and equipment.

  Source

• 2012

  Design the venue for post-Games material recoveryStrategy

  Background

  Because the restaurant was intended to exist only for the Olympic and Paralympic period, McDonald's incorporated reuse and recycling into the construction plan.

  Action taken

  The company designed approximately 75 percent of the construction materials for reuse or recycling, used recycled timber in much of the upper floor and planned redistribution of components after dismantling.

  Aftermath

  Approximately 5,500 items were reused across about 1,200 McDonald's restaurants in the United Kingdom, while other materials were recycled.

  Source

1. 1Olympic Park McDonald'sen.wikipedia.org