MCDONALD’S says its saw an increase in the number of people visiting its restaurants in Ireland last year – serving close to a million more people than it had in 2009.

Figures released by the fast food chain this morning showed that the company had seen its ‘guest count’ increase by 920,000 last year, though its after-tax profits fell slightly from €11.5m to €11.1m.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland paid €2.7m tax on its profits for ordinary activities last year, when it franchised three existing restaurants.

The company said its strong performance last year came because it had benefited from lower commodity costs, and that it expected performances to increase through improved customer service and hospitality in its outlets.

The company said its 2011 performance already seemed promising, with the opening of four new restaurants bringing its total number of outlets to 81, and a “double-digit growth” in sales of coffee.

“If this momentum continues, 2.7m cups of coffee will have been sold across McDonald’s outlets in 2011,” the company said in a release this aftermoon.

McDonald’s also today announced that its finance director Adrian Crean had been appointed as its new Managing Director, succeeding John Atherton who had been appointed to the same role in Sweden.

Crean said the 2010 performance figures were encouraging given the extreme weather towards the end of the year, which hampered the ability of many to leave their homes.

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