2 months ago
The "technology outage" that impacted McDonald's restaurants and nan company's app connected Friday underscores nan fast-food giant's increasing reliance connected tech systems that are becoming progressively communal successful nan nutrient work industry.
Friday's outage impacted McDonald's locations crossed immoderate of its world markets, including Japan, Australia and nan United Kingdom, which forced galore stores to temporarily judge only rate aliases unopen down wholly successful immoderate cases. The institution hasn't disclosed really wide nan outages were, but a franchise successful San Antonio, Texas, couldn't judge orders successful its app aliases rate arsenic of Friday day – 12 hours aft it began.
McDonald's said nan outage was caused by an unnamed third-party supplier during a "configuration change." McDonald's EVP and Global Chief Information Officer Brian Rice said Friday that "reliability and stableness of our exertion are a priority" and successful a follow-up Saturday said that "all of our restaurants globally are now unfastened and serving customers" pinch nan institution analyzing nan rumor to clasp soul teams and vendors accountable. The outage comes soon aft McDonald's revenge its yearly study referenced nan imaginable challenges to its operations posed by technology outages.
"We are progressively reliant upon exertion systems, specified arsenic point-of-sale, that support our business operations, including our integer and transportation solutions," McDonald's wrote successful nan study revenge pinch nan Securities and Exchange Commission revenge connected Feb. 22.
MCDONALD'S HIT BY WORLDWIDE TECH OUTAGE AFFECTING RESTAURANTS, APP
McDonald's warned astir nan imaginable risks of its reliance connected exertion platforms successful a caller regulatory filing. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Any nonaccomplishment aliases interruption of these systems could importantly effect our aliases our franchisees' operations, aliases our customers' experiences and perceptions," nan institution added.
McDonald's besides warned that location are immoderate risks from nan artificial intelligence (AI) devices it's deploying to its systems.
| MCD | MCDONALD'S CORP. | 282.66 | -0.21 | -0.07% |
The study said that "the artificial intelligence devices we are incorporating into definite aspects of our edifice operations whitethorn not make nan intended efficiencies and whitethorn effect our business results."
The outage is improbable to origin McDonald's to diverge from its semipermanent strategy of deepening its reliance connected exertion to summation efficiencies and amended nan company's performance.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WANTS MCDONALD'S BROKEN-DOWN ICE CREAM MACHINES FIXED
The outage connected Friday impacted McDonald's apps arsenic good arsenic immoderate edifice locations. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images / Getty Images)
McDonald's has looked to promote customers to bid done integer devices for illustration its mobile app and kiosks, which made up astir one-third of income successful nan company's apical markets successful 2022.
In December, McDonald's announced that it will partner pinch Google to move its machine systems into nan could, wherever nan world standard of institution information will let McDonald's generative AI strategy to "better understand nan broadest scope of patterns and nuances," resulting successful what it said astatine nan clip would beryllium "hotter, fresher food."
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About one-third of McDonald's income successful apical world markets came from integer platforms for illustration apps and kiosks. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Generative AI already plays a important domiciled successful powering edifice operations and trading to customers done personalized pitches based connected soul customer profiles.
Reuters contributed to this report.
