CNBC announced this morning that it will air “Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire, reported by Carl Quintanilla, on Wednesday, July 25th, at 9pm ET…

In an unprecedented event, CNBC cameras go behind-the-scenes at McDonald’s–the world’s largest and most successful food service business. On Wednesday, July 25th at 9PM ET, CNBC presents an original one-hour special, “Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire,” reported and hosted by CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla, co-anchor of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” (6AM-9AM ET).

CNBC travels to China, where McDonald’s has 780 stores and is aggressively moving to expand and eclipse rival Yum Brands. Roughly half of McDonald’s 30,000 stores are located outside the United States, and China may be the company’s most promising foreign market. CNBC visits McDonald’s Asian Headquarters in Hong Kong, which is the site of its Asia testing facility, the “Forbidden Kitchen.”

CNBC also profiles a single McDonald’s restaurant in the U.S., introducing its owner/franchisee, managers, and customers. Each of the 30,000 stores contributes to McDonald’s bottom line and you’ll see that running a McDonald’s business is more than just flipping burgers.

The 60-minute program takes viewers inside McDonald’s headquarters in Oak Brook, IL and its test kitchens and labs, providing viewers with a close look at the immense testing and research behind every product from Big Macs to Egg McMuffins. The program profiles Chef Dan Coudreaut, a four-star chef who gave up the glamour of The Four Seasons Hotel to work on Quarter Pounders and Chicken McNuggets. CNBC also shows how McDonald’s trains its owners/operators and managers at Hamburger University, its worldwide management training center.

“Serving more than 52 million people each day, McDonald’s is a well-known staple around the world,” said Josh Howard, VP Long Form and Special Programming. “CNBC had a rare opportunity to truly blanket McDonald’s operations and uncover the tremendous work that goes into running the most successful food service business.”

CNBC tells the 53-year history of McDonald’s including an interview with its founder, Ray Kroc, who first saw the McDonald Brother’s quick-service San Bernardino hamburger stand.

Also examined is the criticism McDonald’s has received on the issue of obesity in America from the food itself to its advertising and marketing campaigns.
CNBC explores these criticisms and allows McDonald’s to respond.

The executive producer of “Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire,” is Mitch Weitzner. Josh Howard is the executive in charge of production and Vice President of Long Form and Special Programming.