Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) & Pub Sector

Paul Pomroy promoted to run 12 McDonald’s markets, Alistair Macrow to become UK & Ireland CEO

Propel Hospitality – 24.08.2021

McDonald’s has promoted Paul Pomroy to run 12 markets with Alistair Macrow becoming Chief Executive for the UK and Ireland. It follows the appointment of Manu Steijaert to the newly created role of Chief Customer Officer to drive its digital strategy. McDonald’s stated: “Our most valuable asset at McDonald’s is our people. We take great pride in our ability to use our scale and global presence to create life-long career opportunities that serve to strengthen our McFamily. From promoting top talent from within to recruiting experienced new leaders, our focus will remain on building out the best talent pipeline in the business, so that we can continue ‘Accelerating the Arches’ in an increasingly competitive market environment.”

Irish pub with no beer to open in Middle East

The Sunday Times 15.08.2021

The Virgin Mary, an alcohol-free Dublin pub, is to open a franchised outlet in the largely Muslim UAE capital. The booze-free bar, first opened in Dublin, is about to go international having proved an unlikely hit in the home of the black stuff. The Virgin Mary, on Capel Street which began serving in 2019, is to open a franchised outlet at the Galleria Al Maryah Island, a shopping mall in Abu Dhabi, next month. It will have an Irish manager and staff. There are also plans to bring the “dry bar” concept to the United States, Australia and other parts of the Middle East in much the same way the “Irish pub” theme spread around the world in the 1990s.