McDonald’s UK has lost one of its most aptly named executives, with Zoe Hamburger stepping down after just 18 months as senior vice president and chief restaurant officer.
Hamburger, who joined the UK leadership team in 2024, was responsible for overseeing franchising and delivery operations across Britain. She has now been promoted to managing director of McDonald’s Netherlands.
Her name frequently drew attention during her tenure — she once joked that “some things are meant to be,” acknowledging the nominative determinism of running restaurants at a company famous for flipping burgers. “Hamburger has been my name my entire life too, so as you can imagine, it has always made people do a bit of a double take,” she told The Times.
Hamburger has worked in and around McDonald’s for more than a decade, beginning her career in advertising and PR before taking on senior roles within the US business. She previously led the Bethesda Field Office, which covered six states and more than 1,200 restaurants.
Her McDonald’s biography described her as a “passionate leader” who embraced collaboration “across all three legs of the stool” — a reference to the brand’s franchisees, suppliers and employees. Despite her surname, she admitted her favourite McDonald’s menu item was the Double Cheeseburger.
Her departure is the latest senior leadership shake-up at McDonald’s UK. Chief executive for the UK and Ireland Alistair Macrow announced last week he was stepping down after more than 18 years with the business, saying it was the “right moment” for new leadership to take over.
Despite the turnover at the top, McDonald’s UK remains in strong financial health. Profits nearly doubled in 2024 to £120 million, up from £66.3 million the previous year, even as the chain cut more than 2,000 jobs. The figure remains slightly below the £120 million posted in 2022.
Hamburger has been succeeded as UK chief restaurant officer by Patrick Gerber, who takes over responsibility for restaurant operations across the country. It is good that Gerber has no responsibility for the operations in France as his surname in French means to vomit or to puke in a slang context.
