Big Apple Gets Royale With Cheese
Upscale McDonald's Brings European Style to NYC
"A McDonald's in midtown Manhattan became the first in the U.S. this fall to undergo a sleek, European-style makeover similar to what McDonald's has done at thousands of outlets around in France and the United Kingdom.
The eatery is outfitted with outlets for plugging in laptops, upholstered vinyl chairs instead of Fiberglas seats bolted to the floor, subdued lighting and employees whose all-black uniforms suggest a hip boutique.
"It's like a lounge," said Kimberly Burgess, one of many patrons who did a double take after entering the newly renovated restaurant in Manhattan's Chelsea section. "It's so different from all the other McDonald's. It's beautiful."
Franchise owner Paul Hendel said customers have settled down in a restaurant not known for patrons lingering over lunch.
"We're becoming a more relevant type of restaurant for the younger crowd," he said. "They don't feel rushed. They're reading the newspaper, relaxed."
McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman Danya Proud said that while thousands of the chain's 14,000 restaurants have been updated over the last few years, the Chelsea location is the first "urban redesign" in the U.S. She said "we'll continue to evaluate" whether more might follow.
Proud said the redesign was intended "to give our customers more of a reason to make McDonald's a destination."
"A McDonald's in midtown Manhattan became the first in the U.S. this fall to undergo a sleek, European-style makeover similar to what McDonald's has done at thousands of outlets around in France and the United Kingdom.
The eatery is outfitted with outlets for plugging in laptops, upholstered vinyl chairs instead of Fiberglas seats bolted to the floor, subdued lighting and employees whose all-black uniforms suggest a hip boutique.
"It's like a lounge," said Kimberly Burgess, one of many patrons who did a double take after entering the newly renovated restaurant in Manhattan's Chelsea section. "It's so different from all the other McDonald's. It's beautiful."
Franchise owner Paul Hendel said customers have settled down in a restaurant not known for patrons lingering over lunch.
"We're becoming a more relevant type of restaurant for the younger crowd," he said. "They don't feel rushed. They're reading the newspaper, relaxed."
McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman Danya Proud said that while thousands of the chain's 14,000 restaurants have been updated over the last few years, the Chelsea location is the first "urban redesign" in the U.S. She said "we'll continue to evaluate" whether more might follow.
Proud said the redesign was intended "to give our customers more of a reason to make McDonald's a destination."
posted by patootie at 2:39 PM
3 Comments:
Hey Nolo:)
"European-style makeover similar to what McDonald's has done at thousands of outlets around in France and the United Kingdom."
>>>> that's all find and well, but God forbid if they start using British beef in the burgers, ever taste sawdust?
Haha, no Irish, I haven't, but I haven't eaten fast food in a very long while.
I was gonna say, "But how's the food?"
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