German McDonald's franchisees catch a break

McDonald's is deferring rents and franchise fees for its German partners for the months of March and April as it tries to keep them on board despite the economic pain caused by the pandemic. The move comes despite the fact that restaurants were able to continue serving customers through their drive-thru windows. While these attracted customers, they didn't make up for the volume of business lost from their in-store trade. The company is hoping to revive business by launching a huge advertising offensive, since fast food restaurants will be able to use the insides of their stores to serve customers beginning May 25. Torben Leif Brodersen of the German Franchise Association told RTL that franchise operations were at an advantage during this crisis, at least those run by financially strong companies, because they were able to rely on the parent company for support. This didn't just refer to financial support, he said, but also they were able to share know-how and provide developmetn strategies.