A little Mayo added to burgers
McDonald’s teams with clinic for COVID-19 help
McDonald’s has a new menu option to help it remain strong during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.
The chain announced a partnership with the Mayo Clinic on Thursday for COVID-19 infection prevention best practices and said that it updated company values with a greater focus on diversity and inclusion.
“I think Mayo was a natural place for us to go. They are renowned for their medical expertise,” McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an interview with USA TODAY. “I’m not a doctor; I sell burgers and fries. And to be able to get the advice of someone like the Mayo Clinic to make sure we keep people safe made a lot of sense.”
A team of officials from Mayo Clinic and McDonald’s will meet regularly to discuss the evolving pandemic, associated science and best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus in restaurant and office settings.
The news comes two days after McDonald’s shared the continued impact the pandemic is having on sales, which are down 30% globally. The company also held its first-ever digital Worldwide Connection event Wednesday, bringing together 12,000 operators, suppliers and employees.
The company canceled its in-person biennial convention for its worldwide franchisees this spring amid the pandemic, which was set to be Kempczinski’s first as CEO. He took over the top job in November after previously serving as the company’s head of U.S. business.
As part of the refreshed company values, McDonald’s is pledging to represent the diverse communities in which it operates; accelerate cultures of inclusion and belonging; and dismantle barriers to economic opportunity.
“You go into a McDonald’s restaurant and you see all sorts of people from all walks of life,” Kempczinski said. “A big part of our brand and a big part of our history as a company is that we’ve been a place that has embraced diversity and inclusion. It’s been part of what’s made us successful.”
Masks required at McDonald’s
Beginning Saturday, McDonald’s will require customers to wear masks or face coverings when entering restaurants nationwide. The company is training employees on how to de-escalate the situation if someone refuses to wear a mask, Kempczinski said, and may bring in law enforcement when needed.
“But we’re not going to be asking crew to put themselves at risk,” he said. “The whole point of this is we want to make our restaurants safer.”
Of McDonald’s 38,000 restaurants in nearly 120 countries, 96% are now open, and restaurants with drive-thru windows are recovering more quickly as customers try to limit human contact. Locations in urban centers, malls and tourist locations are having a harder time, the company said.
After reopening 2,000 dining rooms, the company paused reopenings in early July as coronavirus cases spiked. Last week, McDonald’s said it was delaying dining room reopenings for at least another month.
“This pandemic is going to be with us certainly into 2021,” Kempczinski said. “We’re going to be continuing to work with them as the facts on the ground kind of change, making adjustments as needed.”