McDonald's International Media Days 2008 (Day 2, Part 2)

Next up on Day 2 of McDonald's International Media Days 2008 was Senior Director, U.S. Restaurant Design, Max Carmona who outlined the company's Green Building Strategy. And, if you think this is just about the building, you will be surprised.

But, speaking of buildings ... did you know?:

• there are 14,000 McDonald's restaurants in the U.S.
• there are 31,000 McDonald's restaurants in the world.
• the concept of a "Green Restaurant" has been under development for years and is now already rolled out in the south side of Chicago.
• Green Restaurants are under construction in France, Brazil, and Canada.

The bottom line of Max's assignment is to create a functional and environmentally progressive facility that "satisfies both the customers' perception and the crew's satisfaction".

Max outlined critical elements of his program, grouping them into four major categories:

• water reduction
• energy reduction
• materials of construction
• social equity

Then, Max delivered The McChronicles to the actual Green Restaurant, on the corner of 42nd and Ashland on Chicago's South Side (a community known as "Back Of The Yards"). There we were met by Doug Kimball (pictured) who provided an extremely detailed tour of this living laboratory. The tour started with two drawings of the facility, a site overview and a building detail.

The site and building exterior feature innovations including: LED signage that consumes tons less energy,permeable paving that allows rainwater to soak into the water table versus swamping the public drainage system, a cistern that collects storm water used to water the native vegetation - both on the ground and on the roof, skylights, and a heat recovery system. Trust The McChronicles - there is lots more.

Doug then headed indoors where he handed The McChronicles over to John Rockwell who pointed out features such as: low-flow plumbing features saving water per flush, LED lighting and a computerized system that measures natural light and adjusts artificial lighting accordingly, multiple recycling stations, and building materials (tables, chairs, divider walls, decorations, etc.) made from recycled materials such as milk and detergent containers, ceramic floor tile made from 40% pre-consumer waste material, and decor made using low-emitting materials.

Honestly, it was difficult to take it all in on the first pass.

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.

Images: The McChronicles.

A Little Order With My Order

The McChronicles frequents the Chicago airport and is familiar with many (not all) of the McDonald's there. We have a suggestion that could create a win:win scenario at these locations.

THE ISSUE:
These busy airport McDonald's can have a big line of customers all in need of speedy and accurate service. Since real estate is expensive, the McDonald's have small counters that get clogged with customers, order takers, orders, etc (Image 1: The O'Hare Airport Hall "C" McDonald's on a good day). Once an order is placed, the customer (sometimes) is told that their order number is on the receipt and that we are to listen for our number to be called. We are then left to disapear back into the crowd and await our message. This is the lowest form of the McShuffle. Customers, many of whom speak English as a second language, stand in the crowded, noisy airport terminal, occasionally not knowing what wil lhappen next, listening to McDonald's crew members screaming out numbers. We aren't sure if we heard things correctly, if our number has been called and we missed it, etc. The crew get frustrated when we don't step up and claim our order promptly. There is usually a lot of yelling, confusion, and bad experiences. The McChronicles has even seen a crew member placed into the crowd to help relay the number shouting and to help customers spawn their way back to the counter through a throng of increasingly disgruntled people waiting for THEIR number to be called. What does this all tell you?

THE SUGGESTION:

The crew all look at a flat panel that tells them which orders are in process (Image 2). Why not make a similar (but larger) screen available to the customers? That way we can all watch the screen and track our order. And, the crew can be sure that their announcement is made clearly. This could add some dignity and confidence to the situation - improving the experience for both the customer and the crew.

Images: The McChronicles

The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.