McThai Co, the local operator of McDonald’s fast-food restaurant chain, set a contingency plan to reduce operational risks during the massive floods.
CEO Hester Chew said it recently opened its emergency warehouses and distribution centres for frozen and dry goods on Rama II Road (Bangkok), the motorway in Chon Buri and in Chiang Mai to ensure it has enough food to produce its menu for 10-15 days.
The company also alerted all restaurant managers to fill up their advance inventories at full capacity for 10 days.
“We have experience from the airport closure, political violence and some previous floods to help adjust our plans on the fly,” he said.
“We also learned from McDonald’s in Japan and its response to the tsunami earlier this year.”
McThai launched alternative items such as Teriyaki Rice with Chicken Strips last week when its buns dwindled.
“It’s the first time we served rice in our restaurants. We got very good feedback from customers,” he said.
McThai also plans to introduce simple burgers in case some raw materials are in short supply.
Fourteen branches have closed due to the floods and 24-hour McDelivery in Bangkok is unavailable in most places.
“To help customers we’re providing free WiFi with full support from CAT until Nov 30,” he said. Customers can use one hour for each registration.
Sales during the first 10 months grew by 30% as projected.
The company still plans to open eight more branches this year. Each outlet requires 20-30 million baht and 40-50 employees.
Source: Bangkok Post
