McDonald’s has revealed plans to roll out table service in hundreds of its restaurants across the UK in a bid to compete with more upmarket rivals.
The fast food chain has announced that customers will be able to place orders through digital kiosks. The meals will then be brought to their table by waitresses and waiter.
The move follows successful trials in 14 restaurants.
Forty more restaurants will launch the service by the end of March. The total will reach 400 restaurants by the end of the year, according to McDonald’s.
The company is also set to double the number of restaurants that serve McDonald’s so-called “signature collection”, a range of premium burgers created by a team of chefs with experience from Michelin star restaurants.
The Signature Burger is currently on trial in 30 restaurants in London, the South and Manchester. McDonald’s plans to extend this to a further 60 restaurants in the next six weeks.
McDonald’s is hoping to modernise its image while battling competition with upmarket rivals Five Guys and Shake Shack.
“We opened 26 new restaurants last year and the roll out of our reimaging programme is transforming the way we serve customers, and has been a key growth driver,” Paul Pomroy, chief executive officer, McDonald’s UK, said.
The improvement plans follows McDonald’s busiest ever season at the end of 2015. The company reported better global sales in the fourth quarter of 2015, with same-restaurant sales growing by 5 per cent.
“We ended the year with momentum, including positive comparable sales across all segments for both the quarter and the year - a testament to the swift changes we made and the early impact of our turnaround efforts,” Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s CEO, said.
Paul Pomroy said McDonald’s will continue to focus on customer’s taste in the UK.
“I’m pleased with the performance of the UK business in 2015. Together with our franchisees we have delivered another strong year of growth, fuelled by a relentless focus on our customers’ evolving expectations and tastes.
“As we look ahead, in 2016 we will continue to focus on providing great value and variety, as well as invest in our restaurants, our people and our menu, to ensure customers enjoy a great experience every time they visit us,” Pomroy said.
