Oak Brook-headquartered McDonald's is celebrating the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in a big, green way – by opening its largest restaurant, which is also recyclable.
"London 2012 is set to be the most sustainable Games ever hosted, and this ambition inspired us to not only fulfill our role as Official Restaurant in the catering operation behind the event, but also to bind environmental sustainability into the heart of our state-of-the-art Olympic Park restaurant," said Jill McDonald, CEO, McDonald's UK, in a press release.
The flagship Olympic Park restaurant seats about 1,500 customers and is staffed with 500 "best-of-the-best" employees from around the world. The entire building measures 32,292 square feet.
Additionally the restaurant has been designed to be reusable and recyclable after the games, according to the release.
"When McDonald's dismantles the restaurant after the Games, 75 percent will be reused, and nearly every item will be recycled, with all of the furniture and equipment to be distributed to future and existing restaurants in the UK," the release stated.
McDonald's plans to collect all the used cooking oil and recycle it into a special bio-diesel blend to fuel more than half of its UK delivery trucks.
Earlier this month, the golden arches franchise was under fire for their monopoly on French fries during the Games. An exception was made for those selling the London staple fish and chips, but they must be sold as a package.
