Working at McDonald's

Our story starts with one man.

Back in 1954, a man named Ray Kroc discovered a small burger restaurant in California and wrote the first page of our history. From humble beginnings as a small restaurant, we're proud to have become one of the world's leading foodservice brands with more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

A Unique Philosophy

Ray Kroc wanted to build a restaurant system that would be famous for providing food of consistently high quality and uniform methods of preparation. He wanted to serve burgers, buns, fries and beverages that tasted just the same in Alaska as they did in Alabama.

To achieve this, he chose a unique path: persuading both franchisees and suppliers to buy into his vision, working not for McDonald’s but for themselves, together with McDonald’s. He promoted the slogan, “In business for yourself, but not by yourself.” His philosophy was based on the simple principle of a 3-legged stool: one leg was McDonald’s franchisees; the second, McDonald’s suppliers; and the third, McDonald’s employees. The stool was only as strong as the three legs that formed its foundation.

The Legend Lives On

Right up until he died on January 14, 1984, Ray Kroc never stopped working for McDonald’s. His legacy continues to this day as the system provides McDonald’s customers with great tasting, affordable food; crew and franchisees with opportunities for growth; and suppliers with a shared commitment to providing the highest quality ingredients and products.

From his passion for innovation and efficiency to his relentless pursuit of quality, to his many charitable contributions, Ray Kroc’s legacy continues to be an inspirational and integral part of McDonald’s – today and into the future.

Our Brand

Working for McDonald’s is more than just a job. We’re a business that aims to have a positive impact in everything we do. We offer good value, quality food and a fantastic experience for our customers. But it’s not just about the millions of meals we serve each year. It’s also about the hundreds of communities across the UK where you’ll find our restaurants, and the thousands of people who work in those. It’s about you. Whatever you want to get out of your career – with McDonald’s, you can.

Training & Development

Great opportunities at McDonald’s come with training to match. Every year, we invest over £43 million in developing our people. Every one of the 110,000 employees working for McDonald’s has the opportunity to take part in structured training, whether it’s in customer service, team work or financial management. Plus, you can achieve an array of qualifications with us, many of them nationally recognised.

A Great Place to Work

It’s official, McDonald’s is a 'Great Place to Work'. For the tenth consecutive year, we appeared in the ‘25 Best Workplaces’ list (for Large Organisations) from the Great Place to Work® Institute. We've also been ranked in the top 10 of The Sunday Times ’25 Best Big Companies to Work For’ list since 2012 thanks to our highly engaged workforce.