McDonald’s has encountered a significant system failure, leading to the closure of stores and disruption of online and app orders in various countries including Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.
“We are aware of a technology outage, which impacted our restaurants; the issue is now being resolved,” stated McDonald’s (MCD) in a statement to CNN on Friday.
“We thank customers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Notably, the issue is not related to a cybersecurity event.”
McDonald’s did not provide further details about the cause or extent of the outage, and CNN was unable to immediately confirm reports of affected restaurants in the United States.
In Japan, McDonald’s announced on Friday through a post that “Many stores across the country have temporarily suspended operations.”
Maria Avram, an employee at a McDonald’s restaurant in London, informed CNN that there was a system outage between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. local time (2 a.m. and 3 a.m. ET), resulting in staff having to take orders manually and communicate with kitchen colleagues verbally.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Australia confirmed to CNN that the outage affected its restaurants nationwide.
Similar issues were reported in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
McDonald’s Hong Kong posted on Facebook, “Due to a computer system failure, the mobile ordering and self-ordering kiosks are not functioning. Please order directly at the restaurant counter.”
Meanwhile, the McDelivery service in Taiwan announced on its website, “The system is under maintenance, and online and telephone ordering services are temporarily suspended.”
According to Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS, McDonald’s Taiwan stated on Friday that some of its eateries, as well as McDelivery, were temporarily unable to conduct transactions due to internet disruptions. McDonald’s assured customers that it is investigating the situation and undertaking necessary repairs, as reported by TVBS.
Among the affected countries, Japan has the highest number of McDonald’s stores, nearly 3,000, followed by the UK, with close to 1,500 restaurants, and Australia, with just over 1,000.
(With inputs from agencies)
