The McDonald's mission statement reads: "McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile." McDonald's also have a brand mission, which states that they want "to be our customers' favourite place and way to eat. Our worldwide operations have been aligned around a global strategy called the plan to win, centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer experience - People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience." McDonald's is the world's largest fast food chain and serves over 58 million customers each day. Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald founded the company in 1940, and the first restaurant was in San Bernardino, California. Following a large number of restaurants opening, the business expanded by opening restaurants in a number of different countries including Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France, El Salvador and Sweden. The first UK McDonald's was opened in 1974 in Woolwich, London. There are currently over 31,000 McDonald's restaurants throughout 119 countries in the world. The company employs over 1.5 million people. McDonald's used to solely serve traditional fast food such as soda, burgers and fries, but recently have upgraded their menu to include salads, wraps and other healthier options. The company now also has an environmental policy that states, "we believe that being the world's best family restaurant involves protecting the environment at the local and global level. We strive to ensure that our operations today do not have a negative impact on the lives of future generations." The company has also started using free-range chickens and eggs and is sourcing their produce locally in a number of countries where their restaurants are based.
