Meet the McDonald’s of the future
Everyone knows about the widely popular fast food chain restaurant, McDonald’s, but some may not know the brand is getting a makeover.
The fast food chain recently launched its new “Create Your Taste” initiative in a variety of storefronts all over America. The newly updated look includes touchscreen kiosks, servers and table buzzers, things no other fast food chain offers.
"This is a big deal," Greg Watson, senior vice president of U.S. Menu Innovation, told USA Today. "We are all under some pressure that is coming from the business picture not being where we want it to be."
“Create Your Taste” allows customers to order with a touchscreen kiosk, where they can customize their burger from start to finish, adding toppings, sauces and the type of bun used. Customers then get a numbered table buzzer, which notifies the newly implemented servers where you are sitting, and they bring the food directly to you.
With the recent decline in sales, the fast food chain hopes to rev up its revenue with these new features.
"McDonald's single biggest problem is its current positioning with millennials," Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic, a restaurant industry research firm, told USA Today.
With restaurants now catering to a millennial crowd, McDonald’s hopes to win over the younger generation with its trendy new style.
However, this new style may be a hindrance to the “fast” part of “fast food.” In addition to waiting times, this new technology will come with higher prices and backlash from those who don’t agree with the change.
According to USA Today, McDonald’s plans to spread these innovations. This initiative would class up all those late night trips to McDonald’s that every college student eventually takes.
But this isn’t all McDonald’s is doing to increase appeal. It is also trying out a variety of other promotional platforms, and announced on Tuesday it will offer all-you-can-eat fries as a temporary promotion for its new location in St. Joseph, Missouri, set to open in July.
While in the U.K., McDonald's has implemented an “Experience of the Future” initiative, which includes installing tablets with access to the Internet and social media and gaming apps.
Whether McDonald’s will implement these changes in every storefront worldwide is yet to be known.
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