McDonald's Israel () is the Israeli master franchise of the

fast food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...

chain

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

. Previously operated and licensed by Alonyal Limited (, ''Alonyal Ba'am''), McDonald's Israel is the largest of Israel's burger chains with a 60% market share. It was the first Israeli outlet to be opened in 1993 and a major competitor of the local restaurant chain Burger Ranch. The world's first

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

McDonald's was opened in Mevaseret Zion in October 1995. After a sales decline attributed to consumer boycotts as part of the BDS movement, McDonald's Corporation announced in 2024 that it would buy Alonyal pending regulatory approval. McDonald's Israel was founded by Israeli businessman Omri Padan.McDonald's International: McDonald's Israel
Currently McDonald's has 228 restaurants in Israel, with 69 of them under Kosher supervision. This means that they are closed on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

and

Jewish holidays Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' (, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar.This article focuses on practices of mainstream Rabbinic Judaism. ...

, have no mixed meat and dairy products (such as

cheeseburgers A cheeseburger is a hamburger with one or more slices of melted cheese on top of the meat patty, added near the end of the cooking time. Cheeseburgers can include variations in structure, ingredients and composition. As with other hamburgers, ...

), and for

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

serve the meat on Passover buns. In Israel, most branches are non-kosher since they serve cheeseburgers (which are non-kosher, i.e. do not conform to traditional Jewish dietary law) by special request (they are not on the menu) and serve milk-based desserts (ice cream, milkshakes). Some of the kosher branches serve milk products in a separate section of the restaurant. McDonald's Israel does not operate restaurants in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

and

Golan Heights The Golan Heights, or simply the Golan, is a basaltic plateau at the southwest corner of Syria. It is bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, the Anti-Lebanon mountains with Mount Hermon in t ...

.McDonald's changes its brand to suit kosher appetites

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

, Chris McGeral, March 13, 2006 McDonald's Israel claims to source over 80% of its ingredients locally. This includes kosher beef patties, potatoes, lettuce, buns and milkshake mix.

History

1990s

McDonald's entered Israel in 1993. The first branch was at the Ayalon Mall in

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv, and is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. It is home to a Diamond Exchange District (one of the world's major diamond exch ...

. In the wake of a controversy over importing French fries to Israel, the American fast food chain decided to manufacture frozen French fries in Israel at a cost of $5 million US. In 1994, the Golani Interchange branch aroused controversy when the restaurant installed a large 'golden arches' sign in front of the

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade (, ''Hativat Golani'') is an Israeli military infantry brigade. It is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigades of the regular Is ...

museum and memorial. Bereaved families and other citizens claimed this desecrated the site. The sign was later reduced in size. In 1997, McDonald's Israel opened its first branch in an

Israeli Arab The Arab citizens of Israel form the country's largest ethnic minority. Their community mainly consists of former Palestinian Citizenship Order 1925, Mandatory Palestine citizens (and their descendants) who continued to inhabit the territory ...

city. The restaurant was in Tamra, northeast of

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

, and the menu was bilingual, in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. In 1998, McDonald's Israel began to barbecue hamburgers on charcoal instead of frying them. This represented a shift in McDonald's policy, which previously required uniformity at all its locations. In the wake of this decision, grilling equipment was installed at the restaurants, and the size of the patty and bun were increased.

2000s

In 2004, the company was criticized for ordering its Arabic and Russian-speaking staff to speak only Hebrew during work hours. Their motivation behind this decision was to "prevent uncomfortable situations for workers and clients who mostly speak Hebrew," but the order was subsequently withdrawn. In 2006, the international chain's trademark yellow and red signs were replaced at two branches in Tel Aviv with blue and white signs with the Hebrew word "kosher" in order to avoid confusion over which branches were kosher.McKosher, now with a new logo

Yedioth Ahronoth (, ; lit. "Latest News") is an Israeli daily mass market newspaper published in Tel Aviv. Founded in 1939, is Israel's largest paid newspaper by sales and circulation and has been described as "undoubtedly the country's number-one paper."

, Shoshana Chen, February 27, 2006

2010s

McDonald's Israel, in June 2013, turned down an offer to open a restaurant in Ariel in June 2013, citing its declared policy not to open any branches in

settlements across the Green Line. In 2015, McDonald's Israel introduced the mobile application ''McApp'', which enabled customers to order on line and pick up their order when ready. In January 2017, McDonald's Israel introduced ''McTouch'' stands to their restaurants, which enable customers to order meals without standing in line. The ''McTouch'' offers the 'My Mac' option, allowing customers to create their own hamburgers with their preferences and favorites, choosing from various dressings and extra components such as guacamole and fried onion rings. In 2017, McDonald's Israel's McRoyal hamburger was chosen by Channel 10's "Osot Cheshbon" (translated: Making The Bill) program as "The Most Outstanding & Healthiest Hamburger in Israel", following laboratory exam.

2020s

On April 4, 2024, McDonald's Corporation announced that it would purchase the franchise owner Alonyal, which would make the Israeli McDonald's franchise corporate-owned, pending regulatory approval. The announcement was after a boycott was called due to the franchise offering free meals to the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

during the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

Kashrut

While McDonald's operates several

Kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

and non-Kosher restaurants, all the beef served in the restaurants is kosher beef. The difference is that the non-Kosher branches open on

and

, in addition to serving dairy products and cheeseburgers. A kosher McDonald's was also opened in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, at the

Abasto de Buenos Aires The Abasto Shopping is one of the biggest shopping mall centers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The building was the central wholesale fruit and vegetable market in the city ("Mercado de Abasto") from 1893 to 1984. Since 1999, it has served as a shop ...

shopping mall. Argentina and Israel are the only branches in the world that barbecue their burgers on charcoal.

Charities

Similar to McDonald's charitable efforts in the other countries they operate, McDonald's Israel has donated to charities which benefit children such as Schneider Children's Hospital, "Make A Wish Association", and "The Fighting Cancer Association." McDonald's Israel also has its own "McSmile Program," which sponsors trips for children recovering from cancer.

() in all its restaurants, but was removed from the menu in July 2011, until its revival in July 2021. McDonald's Israel also serves the Big America series, which consists of six burgers - the Big New York, the Big Texas, the Big Chicago, the Big Miami, the Big Las Vegas and the Big Broadway. All of the burgers are served with either a 0.5 pound patty (225 grams) or a 0.275 pound patty (125 grams) and with slight differences in the sauce and the onions. As with most McDonald's locales, McDonald's Israel uses beef patty containing around 10% fat. In addition, it uses canola oil and has reduced sodium and increased the proportion of vegetables in the dishes. In compliance with

kashrut (also or , ) is a set of Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...

, McDonald's restaurants in Israel do not serve

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

products. However, they have been criticized by Jewish religious leaders for serving cheeseburgers and employing Jewish workers on Saturdays, the

Jewish Sabbath Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the cre ...

Controversies

During the

, amidst the Israeli blockade of supplies in Gaza, McDonald's in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

was condemned after giving free food to the

who were accused of committing war crimes against

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

. The hashtag #BoycottMcDonalds gained worldwide traction on social media. There were also large gatherings outside restaurants in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

protesting the move. McDonald's in other countries such as

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, distanced themselves from the Israeli brand and pledged aid to Gaza. In January 2024, McDonald's CEO

Chris Kempczinski Christopher John Kempczinski is an American business executive, and the president, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of McDonald's Corporation. Early life and education Christopher John Kempczinski was born in Boston, and raised in Cin ...

acknowledged the backlash, stating, "Several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated

misinformation Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. Misinformation and disinformation are not interchangeable terms: misinformation can exist with or without specific malicious intent, whereas disinformation is distinct in that the information ...

that is affecting brands like McDonald's". In April 2024, McDonald's purchased the franchise, from its current owner, Alonyal, due to falling sales in nearby Arab countries.

References

External links

McDonald's Israel
{{McDonald's Restaurant chains in Israel Fast-food hamburger restaurants McDonald's subsidiaries Restaurants established in 1993 Food and drink companies of Israel he:מקדונלד'ס#בישראל ru:Астраханская область