A new McDonald’s restaurant has opened in Hong Kong, which has been dubbed the McDonald’s of the future.
Instead of beige-only food and basic restaurants, “McDonald’s Next” has mood lighting, phone chargers at the tables and asparagus and quinoa on the menu.
The concept restaurant, located near Admirality station in Hong Kong, has been specially designed by an Australian based company, Landini Associates, in a bid to compete with other higher-end burger restaurants.
The redesign has included the interior, the kitchen layout, wall graphics - including outlines of burgers - product packaging and staff uniforms, as well as food being served on wooden boards with chips in mini wire baskets.
The central kitchen is exposed and set behind a glass counter, where customers can see the whole food preperation process.
Other new additions to the menus are a salad bar, waffles with berry compote and artisan coffees with themed coffee art, and customers can order via the counter, a computerised kiosk or at their table.
Inside are tables made from concrete and zinc, with booths and stools creating a more relaxed atmosphere, which has taken a step back from the usual bright primary colours.
Landini Associates told Deezen magazine that the “no design” approach was created in order to “hero the food, the service and the people who come to enjoy it.”
But this is not the first restaurant experience McDonald’s has tried.
The “Create Your Taste” experiment, which allows diners to pick their own ingredients from a touch screen, has been piloted in San Francisco and New York.
Australia has seen the “Corner McCafe”, which only serves pastries and Paninis, competing with other coffee houses.
Other McDonalds’ branches in France also benefited from a major refurbishment from designer Patrick Norguet.
Landini Associates are now working on other similar “McDonald’s Next” restaurants in Australia, China, Singapore and at other locations in Hong Kong.
