Fast food chain, McDonald’s, has taken home the Bronze Business Resilience award at the bfa HSBC British Franchise Awards 2021.
2021 marks the 32nd year of this leading bfa hsbc franchising award, a flagship event for the UK franchising industry. The glittering event took place on 30 November at The Vox in Birmingham, where the UK’s best franchisors and franchisees were celebrated.
McDonald’s is one of the most recognised brands in the world, with restaurants in over 100 countries and serving billions of customers each year.
The Business Resilience category celebrates businesses that show creativity and resilience in the face of exceptional challenges. McDonald’s battled it out against a record number of entries to secure the accolade for its Employee Assistance Programme.
Through the initiative, McDonald’s provided additional support to help franchisees through the pandemic, with prudent and quick action.
Commenting on the win, Paul Courtman-Stock McDonald’s franchisor, said: “It goes without saying that the UK restaurant industry has faced its fair share of challenges over the past year and a half.
“However, I’m incredibly proud of the whole McDonald’s team for their continued determination and resilience throughout. Providing all of our employees and franchisees with as much support and care as we can is something that has always been really important to us, so to be recognised for those efforts is really special.”
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the British Franchise Association, said: “Over the past year, McDonald’s went above and beyond to help franchisees adapt and progress during a time when many restaurants across the nation faced closure due to the pandemic.
“The exceptional levels of care and support the team provided all its franchisees is highly commendable, and this award is a real testament to their hard work and dedication.”
Andrew Brattesani, Head of Franchising, HSBC, said: “The Business Resilience award seeks to shine a light on businesses that have shown creativity and resilience in the wake of exceptional challenges, and the pandemic certainly brought a range of difficulties to UK restaurants.
“However, the really impressive levels of care, guidance and support the team provided their franchisees and customers has been fantastic. Through this award, we wanted to show the team that their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and we commend them for their determination.”
