McDonald’s (MCD) has suffered what’s being called “a system failure” that has forced many of the company’s restaurants around the world to temporarily close.
In a statement, the Chicago-based quick service restaurant company said: “We are aware of a technology outage, which impacted our restaurants; the issue is now being resolved.”
McDonald’s stressed that the outage taking place worldwide “is not related to a cybersecurity event.”
The outage was first detected in Australia. McDonald’s Japan took to social media to say that operations at stores nationwide had been suspended.
On Downdetector, a website that tracks when apps and websites are having technical problems, there was a spike in reports of issues at McDonald’s locations all over the world.
McDonald’s app in the United Kingdom crashed around 5 a.m. North America time on March 15, noted Downdetector.
McDonald’s has around 40,000 restaurants globally, with 1,000 in Australia, 1,450 in the U.K., and nearly 3,000 outlets in Japan.
What has caused the disruptions to McDonald’s operations or what is being done to resolve the matter is not clear.
The stock of McDonald’s has declined 5% so far in 2024 and currently trades at $281.73 U.S. per share.
