Singapore – Five of the best service staff from McDonald’s Singapore will be in Beijing this August to feed participants at the Olympic Games.

McDonald’s will be sending 1,400 top restaurant crew from around the world to Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, including the five crew members from Singapore, as part of its Olympic Champion Crew programme. The initiative is part of the quick service restaurant’s focus on honouring and recognising its top performing restaurant employees. Linda Ming, senior communications manager of McDonald’s Restaurants, says it is important to recognise and reward employees’ efforts as the success of the company counts on the success of its people.

Ming further attributes the restaurant’s reputation of being one of the best employers in Singapore to its tradition of providing opportunities to its people. “We are passionate about investing in learning, training and career development for each of our 6,000 employees.”

Having joined McDonald’s Parklane a year ago, Suresh A/L Muniandy, the selected Olympic Champion Crew member, says this opportunity has spurred him to work even harder in the long term. “I feel really proud to be amongst the best of the best McDonald’s crew in the world. This is a really a place where I can work hard, play hard and make good friends.”

In Singapore, the Olympic Champion Crew selection was carried out at individual stores, before moving on to batch competitions within area zones. Station proficiency in french fries preparations, lobby cleanliness and customer service attitudes at the counters were the main assessment criteria.

The champion crew will be placed at four Olympic venue restaurants – the Olympic Village, the main press centre and two in the Olympic Green, the main activity area for spectators.