From Iceland — McDonald's to Iceland: We're Not Coming Back

McDonald’s to Iceland: We’re Not Coming Back

Published November 5, 2009

McDonald’s, recently departed from Iceland, will apparently be gone forever.
In an article appearing on Food Week, Jón Garðar Ögmundsson – the owner of Lyst ehf, the company which ran McDonald’s in Iceland – was very frank about the restaurant’s closure. He argued that apart from the high operational costs of running McDonald’s in Iceland, the “unique operational complexity” of the restaurant field in Iceland also led to this fate.
However, operational costs remained a major factor – McDonald’s in Iceland had been importing goods from Germany, but the fall of the kronur made the costs of these goods double. ““It just makes no sense. For a kilo of onion, imported from Germany, I’m paying the equivalent of a bottle of good whisky,” Ögmundsson said in part.
As such, he has no plans of bringing McDonald’s back to Iceland anytime soon. Instead, the restaurant Metro will take its place. In a statement from Lyst ehf at the time of the closing’s announcement, a point was made to emphasize that the closing of McDonald’s will actually result in more jobs – 10 to 15 more – and that the restaurant will purchase raw materials – such as beef, chicken, dairy products, sauces, ice cream, bread, vegetables and packaging – all from Icelandic producers.
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