News

McDonald’s Hamburger University marks 50 years

April 4, 2011

McDonald's Corporation kicked off a year-long celebration today to mark the 50th anniversary of its Hamburger University, a training and education establishment with locations in Oak Brook, Ill., Tokyo, London, Sydney, Munich, São Paolo and Shanghai.

The milestone celebration begins just one day after the quick-service giant announced it was going to hire 50,000 new employees nationwide on April 19.

In 1961, HU began in a McDonald's restaurant basement in Elk Grove Village, Ill. with 15 graduates in the first class. In 1983, McDonald's opened a $40 million Global HU campus in Oak Brook, Ill.

HU is now a global center that develops and trains employees and establishes consistent restaurant standards around the world. To date, more than 275,000 McDonald's franchisees, employees and suppliers have graduated from HU worldwide.

"Hamburger University is an investment in our future where we challenge highly motivated, dedicated people and provide them with training and experience," said Fred Turner, McDonald's honorary chairman. "Lifelong learning is a goal for some, but it's a way of life at McDonald's."

Today, the Fred L. Turner Training Center at HU is a 130,000-square foot facility on an 80-acre campus located at McDonald's Corporate Offices in Oak Brook. The building features a 300-seat auditorium, interactive classrooms, kitchen labs and state-of-the-art service training labs.

HU offers restaurant manager curriculum, a mid-management leadership curriculum and programs for executive development. In 1996, McDonald's launched its Leadership Institute, which supports the company's goal to develop a deep bench of talent.

McDonald's is the only active quick-service restaurant to receive college credit recommendations from the American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT), the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions.

"Hamburger University continues to be the global center of excellence for training at McDonald's," said Maureen Getcliffe, dean of McDonald's U.S. Hamburger University. "My staff uses the latest technology and training methods within our classes to influence the careers of franchisees, field staff and restaurant management."