QSR/McDonald’s

Editorial staff

Though the quick service restaurant business is expected to be flat this year, McThai Co, one of Thailand’s leading quick service restaurant (QSR) operators, will allocate 700 million baht to expand its business this year.

Kittiwan Anuwatesakul, the company’s chief executive officer, said that the company expects its sales to grow by 10% from last year’s sales of 7.95 billion baht, via a series of marketing strategies.

It will reinforce the flagship value platform by emphasizing on offering value-for-money menus to suit with the current economic environment.

“In an era where customers are increasingly interested in "value for money", a strong value platform which makes it easier for customers to access us every day,”Ms Kittiwan said.

In addition to the 'EVM' (Everyday Value Meals, only 99 baht/set, featuring both Burger and McFried Chicken, as well as the 'McSavers 1+1', priced at only 55 baht/set, more value meal will be added this year.

Accelerating to build brand love is another important strategy. In 2025, the company will bring back ‘DAOU x OFFROAD’, genuine McFried Chicken lovers, to be its presenter to reach and engage Gen Z, a generation that is value-seeking and craves new experiences. This strategic initiative also aims to significantly expand the company's target audience and drive a growth of McFried Chicken over 15% in 2025.

McDonald's also continuously create new burger menus and exciting campaigns to energize the burger market and drive strong sales growth.

This year marks a golden opportunity for McDonald's Thailand to accelerate the opening of new stores in prime locations to drive growth in line with the company’s goal and increase customer accessibility.

The company plans to spend 700 million baht, up from last year of 600 million baht, to open more than 20 new branches across the country and renovate 25 existing branches under three main concepts: ‘Geometry' with modern, contemporary, and vibrant; 'Essential Ingredients 2.0' – conveying the brand through pop art; and the 'CUBE' concept – expressing the brand through graphic artwork.

The company moves ahead on driving sustainable business operations and reducing environmental impact through biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging and reducing plastic consumption.

It has begun transitioning to environmentally friendly packaging using paper materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC), including burger wrapping paper, paper bags for food items, and paper sauce cups. In the second quarter of this year, the company will introduce paper boxes for rice menus, dipping sauces, and fried chicken boxes with lids, with the aim of achieving 100% sustainable packaging by 2025.

In 2024, the company achieved its highest revenue in 39 years at 7.95 billion baht, up 10% from 2024. Its net profit rose 11% over the same period in 2023.

"McDonald's Thailand overall performance has shown continuous growth over the past three years. In 2024, we broke our revenue growth record with an all-time high, reflecting the brand's strength and its proactive strategy in the fried chicken market, which exceeded our target by over 33%,”she said.

Thailand’s quick service restaurant is estimated to be worth of 47 billion baht, of which the total 27 billion baht and 10.9 billion baht belong to fried chicken and burger market respectively. The remaining belongs to other food segments.