McDonald’s is getting rid of traditional staffed counters at hundreds of its UK restaurants as part of a huge shake-up of how customers order their food.
The fast food chain will refurbish 200 restaurants this year as part of a £250million Convenience of the Future upgrade programme.
The new design will be applied to 800 branches in total over the next four years. McDonald’s has around 1,200 restaurants in the UK.
Three restaurants have already been upgraded in Bow, east London, Peckham, south London and Kirkby, Merseyside.
Maccies says the refurbs are a result of 50% of people now ordering from touch screens in stores, or through its free app.
Instead of having a counter specifically for orders, McDonald’s will have "specific areas for different sales channels" and a large collection window.
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The shake-up will result in fewer people queuing around touch screens, and should mean diners get their food quicker, the fast food chain said.
Customers who want to pay by cash will still be able to at so-called “customer experience pods” which will be fitted with a till. Touch machine orders can only be made with a card payment.
No jobs will be lost as a result of the refurbishments, McDonald’s told The Mirror.
Other changes coming to restaurants include a separate waiting area and entrance for delivery couriers picking up home delivery orders.
There will also be bigger kitchens and separate areas for delivery and dine-in orders to speed up service.
The burger chain is also planning to improve the layout of its car parks to make pick up easier for drive-thru customers.
Gareth Pearson, McDonald's UK and Ireland chief operations officer, said: "The pace of change within the restaurant industry is relentless, and the pandemic accelerated this with digital adoption gathering greater pace.
"Our customers rightly expect to have choice in how and where they order and collect their food, and our job is to ensure that every experience is a great one.
"For this to be the case, we know we also have to provide our restaurant teams and delivery partners with the best possible environment to work in."
McDonald's has just revamped its menu and has brought back the fan favourite McSpicy burger.
The McSpicy features a fiery chicken breast fillet topped with lettuce and mayo between toasted sesame seed bun.
McDonald’s is also bringing back the Grand Big Mac as part of its latest menu upgrade. The Grand Big Mac comes with the same ingredients as a regular Big Mac, but in a bigger size.
