What makes McDonald's the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants in the world? Is it because we serve around 68 million customers world-wide daily, or is it because we are present in 121 countries? Both these facts do play a significant role in making us the world's largest but we think it's because of the simple fact that people love us and love visiting us every time they want to experience good food, great service and superb hospitality. This is what we pride in and this is exactly what we intended to achieve when we served our first customer in 1940.
They say that your reputation precedes you and because of our staunch commitment to excellence and quality, wherever we went, we were welcomed with open arms. McDonald's is recognised world-wide for its unmatched standards in cleanliness and food quality which makes it a favourite amongst the people. This goes especially true for Pakistan since McDonald's arrived here in 1998 with just 2 restaurants, one in Lahore and the other in Karachi. Today, the McDonald's Pakistan network comprises 23 restaurants, which covers most urban centres, ie, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and Sialkot.
Our success in Pakistan is a living testament to the love and adoration showered upon us by the people. There is no secret and no magical formula behind this great achievement; we did what we do best and the people nominated and awarded us with the status of being the best. Implementing our global concept of QSCV (Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value), McDonald's Pakistan won the APMEA Award for the year 2010-11. Besides this feat, McDonald's Pakistan also bagged three Outstanding Achievement Awards; Excellence in Restaurant Cleanliness and Hygiene, Food Quality and Safety and Overall People Commitment including the prestigious Top Performance Regional Customer Satisfaction Award. The Annual Outstanding Achievements Awards ceremony was held at McDonald's headquarters.
Another aspect of our popularity is the fact that whenever people think of mouth-watering food in a fun-filled environment, they think of McDonald's only. The fun at McDonald's starts as soon as you start to think about it. From our "Chief Happiness Officer" Ronald, to the PlayPlace for kids, from the menu to the ambience, from the taste to the hygiene, we offer something for everyone and ensure that while dining at McDonald's, you enjoy your meals to the fullest. Besides offering a fun filled environment, we have made sure that people who chose us as their preferred choice get the best value for their money. We have become a first choice for parents looking to plan a fun-filled, fabulous birthday party for their kids, and they say, there is no place like McDonald's for a birthday party.
Speaking about values and people, McDonald's actively participates in philanthropic activities to make sure that we live up to the expectations of people and act accordingly to our business values regarding corporate social responsibility. Whether it's an opportunity to help people in distress or making an effort to better the society in general, McDonald's has always remained on the forefront in helping out concerned organisations by aiding them to see their initiatives to the end. Some of the causes and activities that we support and actively participate in have been sponsoring the National Women's Swimming Championship, supporting the National TB Control Program, organising birthday parties for kids under treatment at Shaukat Khanam Memorial Hospital, partnering with Express News to launch the "McSaviors" Program, patronising the inter-school Swimming Championship, providing food for underprivileged kids at various schools, sharing happiness with underprivileged people by serving them Iftari at Edhi Home, initiating awareness activities such as Beach Cleaning, Animal Cruelty, and Litter Patrol, organising live music shows by to international and local stars, and supporting international music events. The list goes on and so do our efforts.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for making us what we are today and we want to assure you that at McDonald's, you'll always be greeted with a smile and you'll leave with a smile.