McDonald’s has claimed it helps contribute more than £9m each year to the Ipswich economy.
The fast food giant has numerous sites across the town, including Cardinal Park, Tavern Street and Ranelagh Road.
To mark 45 years of operating in the UK, the company commissioned an independent economic report to understand the impact McDonald's has had on the UK economy and the local communities it serves.
MORE: Another Ipswich store to close down after firm enters administrationDevelopment Economics carried out the research and found when combined with its suppliers, the chain contributed £9.1m each year to Ipswich.
These figures, measured by Gross Value Added (GVA), are based on contributions to the Primary Urban Area in which the restaurants operated in, up to December 2017.
GVA is the total value of value of goods and services produced in a specific area.
In 2017, McDonald's directly generated around £7.6m for the town and employed 470 people.
Carol Rogerson, who runs seven McDonald's franchises in Ipswich, praised the contribution the firm has made to the town and the jobs it has created.
She said: "Creating and sustaining jobs across Ipswich is of huge importance to us, and the fact that we have been able to make a significant financial contribution to the area is something we are very proud of.
"We employ people based on their qualities not their qualifications but, as the worlds of business and education move closer, there's no longer a need to decide between learning and earning."
She added: "There's also no such thing as a typical nine to five at our restaurants.
"We know that people take a job with McDonald's for all sorts of reasons, from wanting to earn some extra cash while studying at colleges or universities, to needing a flexible job that fits around childcare.
"That's why it's so important to us that we offer our employees flexible working options."
The report finds overall McDonald's and it supply chain is estimated to be work £3.36bn annually to the UK economy.
In the East of England as a whole McDonald's has contributed £183m and supported 15,983 jobs - with local farmers receiving £40m.
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