McDonald’s corporate officials are reportedly pushing franchises to open Christmas Day.
Advertising Age reports the company posted a 2.5% sales growth in November, and some of that growth could be attributed to franchises being open Thanksgiving Day.
About 6,000 more McDonald’s locations were open this Thanksgiving than last year. Those stores accounted for nearly half of the company’s November sales growth.
Now it looks like Christmas Day may also fade as a holiday for McDonald’s workers. An internal memo is pushing franchisees to open Christmas Day.
“Starting with Thanksgiving, ensure your restaurants are open throughout the holidays,” reads the Nov. 8 memo from McDonald’s USA Chief Operating Officer Jim Johannesen. “Our largest holiday opportunity as a system is Christmas Day. Last year, [company-operated] restaurants that opened on Christmas averaged $5,500 in sales.”
Workers at company-owned McDonald’s stores voluntarily sign up to work, getting no overtime pay for working a holiday. Individual franchises create their own policies regarding holiday work hours and pay.
