McDonald's Taps Mayo Clinic to Advise on Cleanliness and Safety Protocols
McDonald’s has engaged Mayo Clinic, a global leader in serious and complex healthcare, to provide ongoing counsel and expertise on best practices to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The engagement with Mayo Clinic reflects the next step in McDonald’s efforts around the world to further enhance hygiene and cleanliness practices in support of customer and crew safety. In the last seven months, elevated standards have been enacted in the majority of McDonald’s 38,000 restaurants across nearly 120 countries, including more than 50 process changes in U.S. restaurants.
Encompassed in a framework called Safety+, this effort builds on more than six decades of safety-first leadership in McDonald’s restaurants, and supplements the work of global markets to help keep customers and crew safe.
“This public health crisis is far from over. Living by our core value of putting our customers and people first means we will continue to evolve our efforts to meet their needs and provide a safe and clean environment in McDonald’s restaurants around the world,” said Chris Kempczinski, President and CEO of McDonald’s. “Consulting with Mayo Clinic allows us to further apply leading edge science to our restaurant practices.”
Comprised of professionals from both Mayo Clinic and McDonald’s, an executive team will meet regularly to discuss the evolving pandemic, associated science and best practices to mitigate the spread of the virus in restaurant and office settings. The team will also review McDonald’s health and safety policies and procedures that outline COVID-19 related environmental health and safety precautions.
“Customers and employees look to business leaders for counsel on health and safety concerns in our current environment,” said Stacey Rizza, M.D., a Mayo Clinic infectious disease specialist. “Mayo Clinic is pleased to work with McDonald’s leadership and staff to advise them on COVID-19 infection prevention best practices in a restaurant and corporate office setting.”
Since the onset of the pandemic, McDonald’s restaurants around the world have adopted significant measures to safeguard health and safety for customers and crew, shared best practices and localized procedures in accordance with local health and safety guidelines. Depending on the market, elevated standards may include contactless operations and equipment intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as gloves, face coverings, and protective barriers. These changes are intended to help keep crew safe and give customers more choices throughout their McDonald’s experience, such as contactless ordering and payment. Market actions also include increased training for restaurant crew and the implementation of a 59-page “playbook” that outlines the minimum standards for U.S. restaurants. In Brazil, the market helped small businesses by creating a course on McDonald’s knowledge of food safety and hygiene.
The engagement with Mayo Clinic was announced July 29 to McDonald’s franchisees, employees and suppliers. This first of its kind virtual gathering featured a range of McDonald’s voices and showcased stories from around the world about how the McDonald's System has brought its values to life in responding to the global pandemic.