Arcos Dorados Gives Its Customers a Peek behind the McDonald’s Counter in Mexico

Kids love seeing where their Happy Meals are put together, how their fries are cooked and what goes into their favorite burgers. Parents enjoy learning about the ingredients that go into their children’s food and the cleanliness of the kitchens where it is prepared.

Knowing this, McDonald’s restaurants in Mexico have provided more than 400,000 kids, parents and others the chance to understand just where their food comes from and how it is prepared. This highly popular program, called “Puertas Abiertas,” or “Open Doors,” was launched in April 2014 by Arcos Dorados, which franchises McDonald’s restaurants in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, to bring greater transparency to the dining experience.

“Transparency builds trust, and trust keeps our customers coming back. We are proud of our quality and we believe in our food. We invite people to visit our kitchens so that they can see the quality and care that goes into their meals at McDonald’s,” said Woods Staton, CEO for Arcos Dorados.

Participants in the Open Doors program, which focuses on school children as well as adults, are able to see how food is stored and prepared, what happens behind the counter and in the kitchen, and how team members assure that every customer gets exactly what he or she has ordered. Guests can also sign up to visit the farms that grow McDonald’s produce and the ranches that raise McDonald’s beef.

When children see where their food comes from, it starts them off on a lifelong journey of food-consciousness and helps them start to ask questions and hold other food providers to higher standards.

The Open Doors program has been hosted by 287 Arcos Dorados owned and sub-franchised restaurants in Mexico and is open to everyone.

With positive results in Mexico, Arcos Dorados is expanding the program to the rest of Latin America in early 2015, including Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile and Argentina.

About Arcos Dorados

Arcos Dorados is the world’s largest McDonald’s franchisee in terms of systemwide sales and number of restaurants, operating the largest quick service restaurant (“QSR”) chain in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has the exclusive right to own, operate and grant franchises of McDonald’s restaurants in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. The Company operates or franchises 2,086 McDonald’s-branded restaurants with over 95,000 employees serving approximately 4.3 million customers a day, as of September 2014. Recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Latin America, Arcos Dorados is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:ARCO). To learn more about the Company, please visit the Investors section of our website: www.arcosdorados.com.