[5] As with McDonald's locations worldwide, the franchise primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken, french fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes and desserts.

In response to changing consumer tastes, the company has expanded its menu to include salads, fish, wraps, smoothies, and fruit.

The company also operates the Georgie Pie and McCafé chains within many of its stores; through the latter McDonald's is the largest coffee shop brand in the country.

The kitchen for the Porirua restaurant was imported on the condition that it was to allow local companies to reproduce it, and it was to be sent back after 12 months.

However, the kitchen had been cemented into the floor and removing parts of it while still maintaining the restaurant operation meant it was impossible.

[9] Once the Porirua restaurant was open, there were additional problems with the supply chain, with frequent industrial unrest often shutting down suppliers without warning for weeks on end.

Like many other companies at the time, Gear Meat was plagued by industrial unrest and closed down without warning in 1982, leaving McDonald's to import beef patties from Australia.

The affiliate acquired Gear Meat's patty-forming machine and moved it to Auckland to secure production.

Both restaurants almost broke worldwide opening day records, just losing the title due to a poor exchange rate.

Later in October, it announced it would roll out Georgie Pie to all McDonald's restaurants nationwide, excluding those who could not accommodate the necessary equipment.

A related competition invited customers to submit their burger creations to the McDonald's website and relied on users to vote for their favourite design.

McDonald's celebrated 40 years in New Zealand on 7 June 2016; the Queen Street Auckland restaurant marked the anniversary with 1970s retro service and items on the original menu sold at their 1976 prices.

[36] The demand for higher wages ultimately led to a strike which began on 22 May 2013 in the Bunny St McDonald's in Wellington.