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[XiaNaphryz]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mcdonald-536971-burgers-restaurant.html

LAGUNA NIGUEL – Months after dropping Angus burgers from its menu, McDonald’s is experimenting with build-your-own-burgers made with premium ingredients selected from an iPad menu.

The upscale-burger test, launched Monday in restaurants in Laguna Niguel and Illinois, allows diners to choose from more than 20 toppings and sauces. Some new offerings include sharp white cheddar cheese, guacamole, caramelized onions, grilled mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon and creamy garlic sauce. The patty is the same one used on the Quarter Pounder, but it is “chargrilled-to-order,” McDonald’s said.

At a newly remodeled McDonald’s in Laguna Niguel, customers create their custom meal using one of two iPad ordering stations near the entrance. Employees wearing fine-dining-style black and white chef’s aprons are there to help customers use the touch-screen menu.

“With these tests, we will have an opportunity to hear directly from our customers in real-time on what they expect from McDonald’s in terms of the overall restaurant experience and their ability to further customize their menu choices,” McDonald’s told the Register in a prepared statement.

Restaurant industry experts say McDonald’s is going after fussier and older fast-food eaters who have migrated to better burger concepts like Smashburger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

“This is an effort to deal with fast-casual,” said Jeff Davis, president of Sandelman and Associates, a San Clemente-based fast-food consulting firm. “McDonald’s is becoming way more adult-focused.”

The limited-time experiment comes as McDonald’s and its rivals scramble to add premium offerings.

Last week, Carl’s Jr. debuted fresh-baked buns for its Six Dollar Angus burgers. Lake Forest-based Del Taco introduced “epic” fresh-Mex inspired burritos last week. Wendy’s is hawking a bacon portabella melt on a toasted brioche bun and a pretzel pub chicken sandwich. Arby’s is selling a roast beef sandwich with King's Hawaiian rolls. Irvine-based Taco Bell launched a Chipotle-style Cantina Bell menu last year.

“When you look at the QSR (quick-service restaurant) industry, they have been striving to close the gap with the fast-casual players,” said Dennis Lombardi, a restaurant consultant with Ohio-based WD Partners.

One way for McDonald’s to close that gap is to test a customized premium burger, Lombardi said.

New research from restaurant consulting firm Technomic shows that 95 percent of consumers say they eat burgers at least once a month. And they’re not looking for subpar burgers.

“Consumers expect something extra when dining out, and better burgers with quality ingredients and customer-chosen toppings or specialty preparations can really help deliver that as part of a solid value equation,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic.

In Laguna Niguel, the test is playing out in a McDonald’s that recently reopened after a major makeover. The new look includes large upscale lamp shades and bright colored booths and barstools.

Customers can choose one of three specialty burgers with set ingredients or they can build their own burger. The three signature burgers include SoCal Style, Hot All Over and Grill Thriller. The SoCal burger, for example, comes on a bakery-style bun with white cheddar cheese, chili-lime tortilla strips, tomato, lettuce and garlic sauce. Specialty and custom burgers cost $5.79. If you add bacon, the burger cost $6.79.

Once you swipe through selections, an employee re-enters the order on a separate handheld tablet. A third device is used for paying. The burgers are served open face in a stylish aluminum basket – similar to Smashburger.

After ordering a McRib sandwich on Wednesday night, McDonald’s regular Jeff Weiss took a quick look at the custom burger options available at the Golden Lantern restaurant.

“It looks new and exciting, but it is too hard of a left turn,” said Weiss, 49, of Laguna Niguel. “It doesn’t fit their business model.”

McDonald’s provided no other details about the test, including when or if it would go national. The other restaurant testing custom burgers is in Romeoville, Ill.

“It is too soon to tell whether these concepts, or something similar, would be rolled out nationally, and these tests represent just one aspect of our broader menu innovation journey,” McDonald’s said.

 

[Camp Lo]

First the automated drink machine, now this. No wonder they don't give a fuck about the workers.

 

[Zolf]

Damn, I live like 10 minutes away from that one, maybe I'll check it out. I dunno about paying $6 for a McDonald's burger, though.

 

[Aquamarine]

First the automated drink machine, now this. No wonder they don't give a fuck about the workers.

It makes you wonder if Microsoft will replace the cooks with automated machines in the future.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

That reporter's picture...

 

[dream]

Couple of observations...

I love the fact that someone can be, and is willing to be, billed as a "McDonald's regular."

I do like the idea of taking an established fast food brand and tilting its menu towards something resembling pub fare. But if the patty used is just a standard Quarter Pounder patty, it seems like they're putting lipstick on a pig. It seems strange to sell a premium burger without premium beef. And that's not a knock on the Quarter Pounder patty--I don't know if the beef is any good or not. But if eating one of these burgers recalls the taste and experience of eating a Quarter Pounder, that would undermine the whole endeavor.

 

[Camp Lo]

It makes you wonder if Microsoft will replace the cooks with automated machines in the future.

It's gotta be the ultimate goal: Make McDonalds into this ATM type of concoction. Just has to be the endgame.

 

[Angelus Errare]

All I can take away from any of this is that the girl in the third photo is cute.

Let me know when this comes to Florida.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

All I can take away from any of this is that the girl in the second photo is cute.

Let me know when this comes to Florida.

The second photo, or the second photo with a girl? ;P

 

[perfectchaos007]

I think McDonalds is shooting themselves in the foot by catering to the adults. Adults love McD's because of the positive memories they have of going to McDonalds as a child. Now most McD's don't even have playplaces anymore and its not the go-to place for a kid. That will hurt the company in 20 years

 

[BassForever]

So basically they're copying Burger King's whopper bar

 

[Angelus Errare]

The second photo, or the second photo with a girl? ;P

The first toally didn't load for me when I initally clicked this thread. So third photo D:

 

[Branduil]

Nobody goes to McDonald's to eat good burgers.

 

[Wubby]

I think McDonalds is shooting themselves in the foot by catering to the adults. Adults love McD's because of the positive memories they have of going to McDonalds as a child. Now most McD's don't even have playplaces anymore and its not the go-to place for a kid. That will hurt the company in 20 years

Aren't those playplaces a pretty big legal liability nowdays though? Kid falls and breaks something the parents are just going to turn around and sue.

 

[jts]

Which iPad model do you guys think they're using? The bezel tells me that's probably not an Air.

So 2, 3 or 4.

The display looks sharp.

3 vs 4 then.

Probably a 4.

What do you reckon. I must know this.

 

[UrokeJoe]

I feel sick.

 

[Kevtones]

I might be hiking in Laguna Beach Sunday... Might be worth a jaunt!

 

[chuckddd]

After ordering a McRib sandwich on Wednesday night, McDonald’s regular Jeff Weiss took a quick look at the custom burger options available at the Golden Lantern restaurant.

“It looks new and exciting, but it is too hard of a left turn,” said Weiss, 49, of Laguna Niguel. “It doesn’t fit their business model.”

So Jeff Weiss eats a McRib and suddenly has a PhD in fast food economics? Shit is better than staying at a Holiday Inn Express!

 

[scotcheggz]

Those photos of the burger itself make it look like shit tbh. Lipstick on a pig indeed.

 

[rrs]

But where in illinois?

Apparantly in the bottom of the article of all things. Also pig, lipstick, etc. If I'm spending that much on a burger I'm going to five guys.

 

[aparisi2274]

Does this build a burger allow you to pick actual meat for your burger?

 

[jerry1594]

This shit looks dumb. It's not worth the trouble for a crap burger.

 

[ZedIndyLil]

My gut reaction is "Wha?", but McD's has been darn good at repositioning themselves in the past, so maybe they'll be able to pull this one off.

 

[entremet]

Quarter pounder patties are shiite. Would try if they had a better patty.

 

[Undubbed]

Makes me wonder when convenient stores are gonna automate. If it were me I'd make the store one huge ass vending machine. All the stuff would be underground or something.

 

[OnkelC]

http://youtu.be/wW-4LU79qbU
one step closer.

 

[Pickles the Firecat]

Well I know how I'm spending my Sunday. I might not enjoy it, but it's going to happen.

 

[noah111]

First the automated drink machine, now this. No wonder they don't give a fuck about the workers.

It's the future, man. Service sector has blown up but it is also unfortunately one of the more easily automated.

Automation is great for obvious reasons, but horrible for the "but people need jobs to make money" reasons.

 

[SwiftDeath]

This thread makes me want to go to In N Out

 

[Omni]

iPad screens, really?

Can you imagine how greasy and filthy they'd get? ew.

 

[megateto]

They already changed their restaurants into that style here, in Spain. And in some of them you can try their upscale coffee bar, with different types of cakes and shakes, which they weren't offering before.
BTW, a Big Mac burger costs around 5$ :/.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

This is the future of fast food.
No need for pesky people to take your order, and soon enough robots could even bring you your own burger.

 

[BigDug13]

The new bacon they've added to items is pretty bomb. It's the first time in any fast food restaurant that has bacon that it isn't this wilted, thin, flimsy thing that they call bacon. It's actually substantial and crispy with good taste. I can pick it up off the burger and it isn't flaccid.

So the new menu items like the Bacon Buffalo Ranch Spicy McChicken sandwich for $2 is amazing.

Substantial, non-wilty, non-flimsy, crispy bacon (supposedly it's "smoked applewood bacon"....it's pretty good, especially for fast food bacon and its texture is completely superior to places like Jack in the Box and Carl's Jr/Hardees)
Buffalo sauce
Ranch sauce
Lettuce (pretty much meaningless in this sandwich, but it's there)
and Spicy McChicken patty

It's pretty fuckin good and really surprised me as McDonalds has always been a "shit I'm hungry, what do I do, oh there's a McDonalds, I guess that will do" type of place for me. But that is the first sandwich in years from McDonalds that has called out to me days later begging me to get another one.

I guess what I'm saying is that McDonalds has really been stepping it up lately and this is another sign.

 

[Korey]

I love McDonalds, but no thanks to this.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Shouldn't they concentrate on making a burger that's even a tenth as good as the whopper first

I mean I like their chips & chicken/bacon delis, but I've never had a beefburger in mcdonalds that didn't taste crap.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

No thanks I will just stick to the crappy old $1 Mcdoubles.
if I want a nicer burger I will go buy a Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger at Wendy's

RIP angus burgers

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

If this means I can actually see the composition of existing burgers in a convenient fashion I'm all for it. Hopefully it'll mean the people are less likely to stuff up my orders when I ask for something off the burger.

 

[exmachina64]

I just came into this thread from the McDonald's holiday pay thread.

A while back I decided that if I wanted a burger, I would go to a local restaurant in my city that served great burgers. I eat burgers so rarely that it doesn't matter.

Spoiler

I'd feel better morally also.

 

[Mudkips]

If this means I can actually see the composition of existing burgers in a convenient fashion I'm all for it. Hopefully it'll mean the people are less likely to stuff up my orders when I ask for something off the burger.

Jack in the Box has had kiosk ordering for ages.

You get a good amount of info and control (can tick individual ingredients on or off, or say light/extra for condiments.
They still fuck it up.

 

[elektrixx]

That's not fast food.

 

[filler]

Well I know how I'm spending my Sunday. I might not enjoy it, but it's going to happen.

Be sure to report back here immediately with your findings!

 

[ClassyPenguin]

If this means I can actually see the composition of existing burgers in a convenient fashion I'm all for it. Hopefully it'll mean the people are less likely to stuff up my orders when I ask for something off the burger.

lol this is McD.


These type of places are awesome as boutiques, not macro-franchises.

 

[hateradio]

McDonalds is so gross though.

If I had the money, I'd rather just go to elsewhere.

 

[Valnen]

This shit looks dumb. It's not worth the trouble for a crap burger.

That burger in the picture definitely isn't a crap burger, but I doubt that can keep that level of quality up nation wide.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

McD's chicken stuff is alright if you avoid the extra calories (dressing and fried)

 

[-MD-]

I said they should do this like 5 years ago, think Subway was the reason. Who the fuck wants to drive to a Subway and go in to get some shitty sub? Rather swing through a drive thru and tap a couple buttons for lettuce/olives/fake ass cheese.

 

[Drazgul]

This is the future of fast food.
No need for pesky people to take your order, and soon enough robots could even bring you your own burger.

Can't come fast enough. Ideally the whole chain of production would be free of pimple-faced teenagers.

 

[dc89]

Please come to the UK. Please come to the UK.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Can't come fast enough. Ideally the whole chain of production would be free of pimple-faced teenagers.

Yeah, the kitchen will also hopefully be automated 100% - with not a single human messing about with my food just because they are bored douchebags.
Then give me a slot in the wall where my order is automatically deposited into after I've used the touch screen adjacent to it.

Completely remove the human element, and I might just go every day.

 

[Shaanyboi]

I don't want to see how gross those ipads get