MCDONALD’S
The famous Golden Arches set foot in Singapore more than 40 years ago with the opening of its Liat Towers outlet in Orchard Road in 1979. It broke the world record then for the highest number of hamburgers served on opening day. There were only six types of burgers on the menu then. They were the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Fillet-o-fish, Cheeseburger and Hamburger.
The man who made it happen was former national water polo player Robert Kwan, who first visited a Mcdonald’s outlet in Las Vegas in 1975 and later brought the franchise into Singapore on a joint venture he set up with Mcdonald’s Corp. He sold his 10 per cent stake in 2003 back to the parent, and in 2016, Mcdonald’s Corp sold its franchise rights in Singapore and Malaysia to Saudi Arabia’s Lionhorn.
In its early days, Mcdonald’s was the place in town to hold a children’s birthday party, with Ronald Mcdonald the clown himself in attendance.
Its original mascot crew, including Hamburglar and Grimace, was also a massive hit. Apart from being loved as a family restaurant, the fast-food chain had the reputation of having a family-like working environment. One of the current 10,000 staff members is Jeffrey Tan, who joined the crew at Liat Towers and has stayed with the company for 41 years. He is now Senior Director (Operations, Restaurants Solutions Group and Brand Extensions).