Insider Spotlight
Its “Gold Standards” define how Chicken McDo should taste, look, smell and feel, as well as how it should be served. Employees from quality assurance and the head office to suppliers and restaurant Chicken Experts are expected to follow the same benchmarks.
Golden, glistening appearance
For customers, those standards translate into specific product characteristics. Chicken McDo should have a golden, glistening appearance and complete breading coverage, with moderate flakiness and a balance of crispiness and crunchiness.
The coating should adhere firmly to the chicken, while the meat should remain tender, juicy and fully cooked. Its breading is designed to deliver balanced salty and savory notes alongside a mild chicken flavor.
“Everyone at McDonald’s—from quality assurance and head office employees to suppliers and Chicken Experts—is aligned with these standards. I think that is one of McDonald’s secrets to ensuring consistency across all its branches in the Philippines,” McDonald’s Philippines director for quality assurance Alvin Marcelo said during a media briefing.
The gatekeepers
McDonald’s has around 3,200 Chicken Experts who help enforce those standards in restaurants. Selected from strong-performing crew members, they are trained and verified to handle chicken preparation while maintaining food safety and quality procedures.
“A Chicken Expert is responsible not only for quality but also for food safety. At McDonald’s, food safety always comes first. They wash their hands before doing anything. Excellence is also very important. ‘Good enough’ is not acceptable. Every product served to customers must meet the Gold Standards,” Marcelo explained.
Chicken Experts inspect raw materials, check expiration dates and proper thawing, monitor inventory and determine how much chicken needs to be prepared. The goal is to cook only the quantity needed so Chicken McDo stays hot and fresh.
Their skills are assessed monthly by restaurant managers, while certification as Chicken Experts takes place annually. They may eventually advance to become Chicken Masters.
Supporting local poultry and farmers
“McDonald’s supports local farmers and producers of both chicken and rice. The company sells millions of pieces of chicken every year,” he said.
Chicken McDo is locally sourced, as is the rice served alongside it. With McDonald’s selling millions of chicken pieces annually, that sourcing supports local chicken and rice producers.
Freshness controls extend across the supply chain. Chicken must remain chilled or frozen from slaughter through distribution and restaurant delivery, with temperatures checked against company specifications.
McDonald’s also incorporates animal health and welfare requirements into its quality system. Third-party audits cover the supply chain from farms and growers through slaughter facilities.
Shaped by consumer research
Product decisions are also shaped by consumer research across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. McDonald’s tracks preferences including chicken size, skin crispiness and crunchiness, meat juiciness and overall taste.
“Consumer needs are McDonald’s top priority in every product innovation. McDonald’s gathers consumer insights from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao to capture differences in preferences across regions of the Philippines,” McDonald’s Philippines director for menu and taste marketing Celine Lagandaon said.
She added that the company studies what customers want and has identified several key factors that shape their chicken preferences. These include the size of the chicken, the crispiness and crunchiness of the skin, the juiciness of the meat and the overall taste.
The guiding rule is straightforward: If Chicken McDo fails to meet the Gold Standards, it is not served. —Vanessa Hidalgo | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
