Scaling internal innovation and culture at a global level.

Burger Hack Origin Story

The idea of Burger Hack came to fruition with McDonald's former Executive Vice President and Global CIO Daniel Henry, who had previously experienced the impact of hackathons while working at American Airlines. Recognizing their transformative value, he envisioned scaling this concept globally at McDonald’s to inspire innovation and collaboration across the company. Partnering with Capgemini, McDonald’s brought this vision to life, creating a unique platform to explore ideas that could redefine the future of the organization.

Map of Burger Hack

Debrecen, Hungary

Chicago, USA

London, UK

Sydney, Australia

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Pune, India

Mumbai, India

Tel Aviv, Israel

Debrecen, Hungary

Chicago, USA

London, UK

Sydney, Australia

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Pune, India

Mumbai, India

Tel Aviv, Israel

Everyone can play a role in innovation. Innovation isn’t invention. It’s not coming up with a brand-new widget necessarily, it’s about how to do things better, quicker, more efficiently — in a different way than it’s been done before.

Rick Pollock

Director of Innovation at Capgemini

Post-Innovation Implementation

The McDonald’s hackathon led to the creation of an advanced mobile ordering app, now implemented in 100+ Canadian locations. This solution enables pre-ordering and uses machine learning to deliver personalized menu suggestions, demonstrating how the hackathon drives real, impactful innovation.

The global scale of Burger Hack fosters lasting friendships and professional relationships, with interactions between people who wouldn’t have met otherwise. This highlights McDonald’s commitment to rethinking innovation and blending fun, creativity, and business impact.

Creating Moments of Feel-Good

Burger Hack was more than just a hackathon — it embodied McDonald’s mission to create moments of feel-good. The event provided opportunities for fun and interaction with activities like Cornhole and arcade basketball, sparking creativity and camaraderie among participants. It wasn’t just about problem-solving but also about celebrating the unique culture of McDonald’s, where innovation and happiness go hand in hand.

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