Why you can't buy a burger at McDonald's in Rio Olympic Park
Americans in Brazil for the Olympics, athletes and spectators alike, may be surprised by what they find – or, more appropriately, don’t find – when they go to McDonald’s in Rio Olympic Park.
This particular McDonald’s doesn’t serve all the regular menu items typical of the McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S., but rather only serves ice cream. It’s a weird strategy for the one of the world’s largest fast food chains, but it wasn’t an accident.
Apparently, ice cream-only McDonald’s are a regular occurrence in Brazil, which is the only country in the world with a single-item version of the popular restaurant.
Per USA Today, a McDonald’s executive explained the concept and its popularity in the host country:
“These dessert kiosks are iconic to Brazil,” said David Zlotnik, McDonald’s senior director for global public relations. “We have 2,500 of these (in the country), which are more than the number of restaurants we have here. That was the thinking behind it. Let’s showcase what we do locally.”
McDonald’s has been a longtime Olympic sponsor, and has been a staple at past Games in the athletes’ village and in the press center, but it’s never been limited to so few items.
In case you’re wondering, the Olympic park kiosk only serves ice cream, but there is some variety available. One can order an ice cream cone, a chocolate or strawberry sundae, or a McFlurry with a mix of toppings, including chocolate candy balls, crunchy chocolate topping or a banana with muesli.
For those who need to get their Big Mac or McDouble fix, there are still plenty of regular, full-service McDonald’s in Rio – 33 of them in the metro area actually – so Americans shouldn’t have to go far to find one that more closely resembles the ones back home.
