NEW YORK – Danish Modern furniture...and French fries.
The Associated Press reports that a McDonald's in midtown Manhattan has become the first of the QSRs locations in the U.S. 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 location has plenty of outlets for laptops, Wi-Fi access, flat screen TVs, upholstered vinyl chairs, subdued lighting and employees dressed in all-black uniforms that suggest the “home of the Big Mac” is a hip boutique.
"It's like a lounge," said one patron, adding, "It's so different from all the other McDonald's. It's beautiful."
Franchise owner Paul Hendel told the AP that his customers are sticking around and socializing, rather than eating and (quickly) leaving. “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 told the news source that while thousands of the chain's 14,000 restaurants have been updated over the last few years, the midtown Manhattan location is the first "urban redesign" in the U.S. "People are using our restaurants differently today than they did five, 10, 20 years ago," she said. "People are multitasking, doing more on a given day. ...You want to be able to open your laptop, log on and get some work done while you're eating."
The menu at the upscale location is the same as any other McDonald’s you’ll pass by on the road, but the differences are significant, including reproductions of Danish designer Arne Jacobsen's chairs such as the Egg chair, notes the AP.
Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic Inc., commented that McDonald's franchise owners have wide discretion in how they decorate their restaurants, so long as they don’t forget to keep one infamous brand element: the golden arches.