REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 7, 2005 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that McDonald’s Corp. has selected Microsoft® Windows® XP Embedded as the foundation for its new point-of-sale (POS) platform. McDonald’s selected Windows XP Embedded due to its exceptional performance and unique retail design, and the ability to work with a single vendor that can provide a wide breadth of solutions for its restaurants. To date, McDonald’s has deployed Windows XP Embedded to several thousand devices across Europe and Asia and plans to eventually roll out the Microsoft operating system for its worldwide standard POS platform.
By standardizing on Windows XP Embedded, along with one POS application, McDonald’s will be able to further streamline operations and make restaurant crew training faster and more cost-effective while easily integrating and maintaining devices from multiple POS hardware providers.
“Our No. 1 priority remains to deliver the best restaurant experience to our customers,” said Dave Weick, chief information officer at McDonald’s. “Windows XP Embedded is a great fit for McDonald’s as we look to provide our customers more convenient options — from cashless payment to gift cards to whatever may come next.”
“McDonald’s is a complex and dynamic global organization,” said Paula Paravecchio, global industry manager of stores and multichannel solutions in the Worldwide Retail & Hospitality Industry Unit at Microsoft. “By using a flexible and open technology platform, McDonald’s will be well prepared to optimize its existing infrastructure and build a solid foundation for bringing the next generation of customer service innovations to its restaurants.”
About Microsoft Smarter Hospitality
Microsoft Smarter Hospitality is a comprehensive solutions framework for enabling the next generation of hospitality innovation. Consisting of Smarter Guest Experience, Smarter Service and Smarter Operations, Smarter Hospitality leverages current IT investments and the familiar technologies in guests’ or employees’ hands to create more engaging and empowering guest experiences, while laying the groundwork for future innovations. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/smarthospitality.
About McDonald’s
McDonald’s is the leading restaurant brand with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million customers in more than 119 countries each day. Approximately 70 percent of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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