'Best Burger embodies voice of customers'
McDonald's Korea Managing Director Antoni Martinez / Courtesy of McDonald's Korea
By Kim Jae-heun
In a video titled “Invitation to Best Burger: Antoni Martinez's Message” released on June 10 through McDonald's Korea's official YouTube channel, its new managing director revealed that the U.S. fast food franchise will achieve growth with a customer-centered strategy.
As customer communications move to online platforms across industries, McDonald's Korea is among the first in the food and beverage industry to engage with consumers virtually.
The online video message introduces the detailed changes brought by the Best Burger Initiative as well as Martinez's reflection on his first three months as managing director at McDonald's Korea, and outlines the company's strategic path forward.
Martinez presented the achievements of the Best Burger Initiative, which has been garnering positive feedback from customers.
On March 26, McDonald's Korea launched the Best Burger Initiative after two years of research into how to improve the overall burger-preparation process encompassing food ingredients, cooking processes and kitchen equipment.
Korea was fourth in the world and the first in Asia to implement McDonald's global initiative.
“Korean customers have such a sophisticated palate that changes in flavor are immediately noticed. We introduced the Best Burger Initiative to serve the Best Burger to Korean customers who have shown strong interest and support for McDonald's over the past 32 years. I am grateful for the fast response and positive feedback from Korean customers,” Martinez said.
Martinez added, “With the COVID-19 pandemic posing serious challenges for the business, contactless platforms such as drive-thru and McDelivery in which McDonald's made preemptive investments have received a warm response from the public.”
He explained the company's revenue has increased 9 percent year-on-year for the first four months of the year aided by the introduction of the Best Burger initiative and the establishment of convenience platforms.
McDonald's Korea has continued to successfully operate 100 percent of more than 400 restaurants nationwide throughout the pandemic thanks to suppliers who have continued to provide food ingredients so that restaurants can operate stably.
“Our employees including our restaurant crews are devoted to serving tastier food to our customers with safety and hygiene as top priority,” Martinez said.
Martinez also presented the burger giant's business direction by saying McDonald's will prioritize customer-centered decision-making, tastier burgers and better customer experiences to provide local customers with more satisfying experiences.
Martinez named customer-oriented decision-making as the top priority.
“McDonald's Korea serves nearly 400,000 customers per day and 200 million customers annually. Based on the philosophy that customers are the beginning and end of all decision-making processes, we will carefully listen to the voice of customers on an ongoing basis through various survey platforms and incorporate innovations into business practices to meet various customer needs,” he said.
“Indeed, Best Burger embodies the voice of customers. Through two years of preparation leading up to the implementation, we were able to capture what Korean customers expect based on the findings of surveys on the consumer perception of tasty burgers.”
As a leading global foodservice company, McDonald's has conducted research into burgers over the past 60 years.
“We at McDonald's will continue our challenge for tastier menus to provide more satisfying experiences to Korean customers,” Martinez said.