We are talking at the Economic Forum, so let me begin with the economy. What do you think about its condition?

It is good that there are places such as the Economic Forum in Karpacz, where business can participate in meaningful dialogue with self-government and representatives of government institutions This dialogue is necessary because it is business that creates work and pays taxes. We assess the economic situation as good. If we take a broader view and look at the long term, Poland is experiencing excellent development. We should congratulate ourselves on everything we have achieved over the last 20-30 years.

Today, we can all see falling interest rates on loans and rising minimum and average wages in Poland. All of this should drive the economy. We are also very pleased to see an increase in the number of guests at McDonald's restaurants; Poles choose us more and more often. Every day, our restaurants are visited by over 1.2 million guests. But we also see a great deal of caution in spending. This is also confirmed by other economic indicators, such as retail sales.

What are McDonald's investment plans in Poland?

We continue to follow the investment path we embarked on two years ago. By the end of the year, we will have opened 600 restaurants in Poland. This means over 30 new restaurants this year. The target is to open 130 new restaurants over the next two years. This represents an investment of PLN 2 billion, which we want to contribute to the Polish economy together with our partners. But the most important thing is the added value – 17,000 new jobs. As always at McDonald's, each of our employees has an employment contract. We create a very large scale of added value for the economy, both locally and globally. This also happens through our suppliers, who open factories in Poland. Our partners export to many European markets within the McDonald's network, and Poland is becoming an increasingly important part of the brand's global system.

Local content is discussed, for example, in the context of energy transition. And what is the role of the Polish component at McDonald's?

From the customer's perspective, the most illustrative example of our place is our flagship burger, the Big Mac. It is made mostly from Polish ingredients. The bun comes from Strzegom, the meat comes from Polish farms, and the vegetables come from local crops. Over 70% of our raw material comes from Poland. Our guests see this and appreciate the quality. This Polishness is also reflected in the situation of our suppliers, who have been growing with us for 30 years. Green Factory, OSI, Farm Frites are just a few examples of suppliers of chips, lettuce and beef who have developed alongside McDonald's over the years and export to other European markets.

You mentioned new employees. How many people work at McDonald's in Poland today?

Our team consists of 38,000 employees with an employment contract. We run our business together with franchisees, local entrepreneurs who operate over 90% of restaurants in Poland.