McDonald's restaurants in key markets across the Asia Pacific region experienced widespread technical outages that halted operations on Friday. According to reports, McDonald's locations in Japan, Australia and Hong Kong were unable to process orders or payments due to a major IT failure impacting their systems.
While the full scale of the issue is still being determined, it appears the technical glitch brought business to a standstill at numerous McDonald's stores. Customers trying to order food and drinks in these countries were met with errors or unable to complete their purchases through online channels or in-person. Many locations were forced to temporarily close until the problems could be resolved.
In a statement, McDonald's Japan acknowledged “many stores across the country have suspended operations due to a current system failure.” Similarly in Australia and Hong Kong, widespread outages left customers and employees struggling. The failure impacted locations in three sizable markets where McDonald's maintains a strong presence, serving millions of customers each day.
The root cause of the technical issues remains under investigation. It is unclear when fully functioning systems might be restored. McDonald's corporate teams are working diligently to identify and fix the problems bringing their point-of-sale and digital platforms back online as soon as possible.
Stay tuned for continued coverage as more details emerge on the scale and solution to this technical outage crippling McDonald's stores in Japan, Australia and Hong Kong. Its resolution will be important both for customers waiting to order their Big Macs and fries, as well as the company's bottom line.
