When brainstorming ideas of where to take your clients out to a business lunch, I'm betting McDonald's doesn't come to mind. However, if a newly-renovated location in New York City is any indication of things to come, that could soon change.
The 168-seat outlet in Manhattan's Chelsea area recently received a very chic makeover. It now boasts upholstered vinyl chairs, softer lighting, bold colors and a wall emblazoned with French architect Philippe Avanzi's magnified fingerprint. The amenities have improved, too, as it now has flat-screen televisions and free wi-fi. Even the employees look sleeker in their all-black uniforms.
"It's like a lounge," Kimberly Burgess, a McDonald's patron, told the Associated Press. "It's so different from all the other McDonald's. It's beautiful."
McDonald's has updated thousands of its properties over the past few years, but the Chelsea outlet was the first in the United States to receive an "urban redesign," according to McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman Danya Proud. She said the makeover was meant "to give [McDonald's] customers more of a reason to make McDonald's a destination."
So far, it could be working.
Franchise owner Paul Hendel told the AP that customers have been taking their time to dine, rather than rushing in and out.
"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."
Check out some great pictures of the McDonald's at the Pulp Culture blog—it's pretty impressive. Still, I'm still not sure if I would ever think of McDonald's a venue for business or entertaining. Any thoughts on the new look?
The 168-seat outlet in Manhattan's Chelsea area recently received a very chic makeover. It now boasts upholstered vinyl chairs, softer lighting, bold colors and a wall emblazoned with French architect Philippe Avanzi's magnified fingerprint. The amenities have improved, too, as it now has flat-screen televisions and free wi-fi. Even the employees look sleeker in their all-black uniforms.
"It's like a lounge," Kimberly Burgess, a McDonald's patron, told the Associated Press. "It's so different from all the other McDonald's. It's beautiful."
McDonald's has updated thousands of its properties over the past few years, but the Chelsea outlet was the first in the United States to receive an "urban redesign," according to McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman Danya Proud. She said the makeover was meant "to give [McDonald's] customers more of a reason to make McDonald's a destination."
So far, it could be working.
Franchise owner Paul Hendel told the AP that customers have been taking their time to dine, rather than rushing in and out.
"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."
Check out some great pictures of the McDonald's at the Pulp Culture blog—it's pretty impressive. Still, I'm still not sure if I would ever think of McDonald's a venue for business or entertaining. Any thoughts on the new look?
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