A McDonald’s outlet at Terminal One (T1) at Dublin Airport was selling €800,000 worth of breakfasts to departing passengers each year before the pandemic, according to a DAA tender document.
State-owned DAA, which operates the airport, has put out to tender “a key unit” at the T1 departures mezzanine for the next five years from April.
The tender shows that the current 166-seat McDonald’s outlet in the terminal recorded revenues of €4.57 million in 2019.
Sales decreased by 72 per cent to €1.27 million during 2020 as the pandemic put a halt to international air travel and rebounded last year to €2 million as travel restrictions were loosened.
Giving a rare insight into the popularity of the fast food giant’s menu of products, the figures show that the best selling item at the McDonald’s outlet in 2019 was Extra Value Meals, clocking up €1.7 million or 37 per cent in sales that year.
Breakfast sales
The second best selling product on the menu was breakfast, accounting for €799,154 or 17 per cent of overall income, benefitting from the early morning rush for flights.
Beef burgers accounted for 10 per cent of sales at €470,433 while EuroSaver clocked up €399,409 or nine per cent of income. Happy Meals generated €124,621 or 3 per cent of sales while salads accounted for only two per cent or €73,034. Hot and cold drinks each recorded five per cent in sales.
July was the busiest month at the McDonald’s outlet pre-Covid accounting for €497,526 in sales while February was the quietest at €281,245.
The tender documentation shows that T1 handled 3.3 million departing passengers last year compared with 10.2 million in 2019.
DAA is forecasting 16.7 million departing passengers from T1 this year rising to 20 million by 2025.
However, “passenger forecasts are likely to have a much more significant degree of variability and uncertainty than existed before the pandemic”, the DAA cautions.
The tender document states that prospective operators should offer an internationally-recognised value, fast food burger brand and cater to all passenger types including groups, families, and solo passengers with luggage.
The McDonald’s contract in T1 departures expires at the end of February. It is open to McDonald’s to re-tender to operate the unit, with a closing date for tenders of February 28th.
