Arcos Dorados, the world’s largest independent McDonald’s franchisee operating the largest quick service restaurant chain in Latin America and the Caribbean, is celebrating a milestone achievement, its tenth anniversary of operating McDonald’s restaurants in T&T.
In collaboration with Coca-Cola, the company is commemorating the occasion with a gift tribute to T&T—three special, limited-edition cups designed by talented local-artist Nicholas Huggins.
Arcos Dorados commissioned Huggins to create artwork that reflected the company’s love of T&T, the beauty of the country’s flora and fauna, its unique scenery, and the vibrancy of its people.
“When McDonald’s approached me with this project, I was ecstatic,” said Huggins.
“To design for a company as iconic and impactful as McDonald’s is a dream. In my designs, I incorporated my signature bold, bright colours which are illustrative of our country and culture. I included elements that we all love about our country, from our beautiful natural imagery to the excitement of our Carnival and the amazing vibes of our people. I’m really excited to share this gift with the country.”
Kalifa Duncan, market manager of McDonald’s T&T, noted that the company was blown away by Huggins’ designs and considered them an extraordinary tribute to T&T.
“We are very proud of this special gift to T&T,” said Duncan. “It was an honour to work with Nicholas and we are also very pleased to support this country’s incredible young talent, as we do every day with our very talented crew.
“In our ten years, we have experienced fantastic moments and have made a tangible impact in our communities,” she added.
“We feel strongly ingrained in the fabric of society and want to thank all of our customers and staff who have contributed to our ten successful years. We will continue to invest not only in providing high-quality products and feel-good moments to all our customers but also, we’re on the path to use our scale to have a positive impact on the urgent challenges that our society and the environment needs through our Recipe For The Future platform.”
Duncan herself exemplifies the company’s growth and commitment to staff development, having worked her way up from an entry level position at McDonald’s ten years ago as a university student, to now presiding over the country’s operations at all four restaurants nationwide.
Youth mobility is a key pillar of Arcos Dorados’ values, and the Company is a strong supporter of youth development, not only offering first job opportunities for young people but with its Great Day yearly campaign which has supported
The Heroes Foundation four years in a row. The company has also advanced with nutritional improvements to the menu which eliminated artificial colours and flavours, as well as reduced fat, sodium, sugar and calories in meals.
Duncan emphasised that although the pandemic has brought significant challenges to T&T, McDonald’s was dedicated to furthering its impact to benefit the country.
“It has certainly been a challenging few years for our country, but Arcos Dorados is committed to investing in and supporting our people and economic recovery,” Duncan said. “We look forward to celebrating continued growth in T&T!”