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Published on October 17, 2007

Round-the-clock McDonald's will be available at "strategic premium locations".

"We extended service hours of McDonald's outlets at nine prime locations about a year ago, and they have shown a 40-per-cent increase in sales in the first nine months of this year," said McThai executive-committee chairman Hester Chew.

Those locations include Bumrungrad Hospital, a service station on Rama IV Road, Bang Na district, Zeer Rangsit and Amarin Plaza in greater Bangkok, along with the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.

The company will add six more restaurants to that list this month, and the number of round-the-clock locations will increase to 20 by December.

Half of the new 24-hour locations will be outside of Bangkok, including one each for Phuket and Koh Samui and three for Pattaya. Others will be on busy motorway routes.

The company will open its Rajdamnoen Avenue location 24 hours a day for next month and December. One Ayutthaya outlet will go operate the clock from Friday. And the Koh Samui and Krabi locations will extend their hours for tourist high season between November and April.

"The 24-hour opening is another initiative by McDonald's to provide convenience to our customers, adding to other business initiatives that include drive-throughs, home delivery and kiosks," Chew said.

"We'll increase the 24-hour stores to 35-40 outlets by next year, and the proportion of McDonald's restaurants opening around the clock will be increased to about 60 per cent in the next two or three years," he said.

There are 98 outlets in this country, with another 10-20 expected soon.

"We have about seven drive-through restaurants at the moment, and the number of drive-through outlets will double next year," Chew said.

McDonald's has introduced breakfast - including eggs, sausages and muffins - at outlets in Amarin Plaza, CP Tower, Robinson Sukhumvit, The Mall Ngarmwongwan and The Mall Ramkhamhaeng in Bangkok; plus one location in Pattaya.

The breakfast menu will be introduced at other outlets soon.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn,

The Nation