McDonald's Revamping Stores Nationwide

Over the next four years, McDonald's will spend roughly $1 billion to renovate its restaurants, the largest makeover in the company's 56-year history.

May 10, 2011

TAMPA, FL - McDonald??s is undergoing a $1 billion facelift, the chain??s biggest store-by-store makeover in the company??s 56-year history, USA Today reports.

By 2015, McDonald??s intends to have the majority of its U.S. restaurants "looking comfortable enough to hang out in long after you??ve gobbled down your burger," write USA Today, making the chain more like Starbucks than its traditional hamburger self, and a new image in the minds of its customers.

As a result, fiberglass tables and neon-yellow bright interiors will be replaced by wooden tables, faux leather chairs, and interiors painted in muted, earth tones.

After renovating 280 stores in various markets last year, McDonald??s has selected a Tampa model design that it intends to spread to roughly 800 locations this year.

"McDonald's has to change with the times," said Jim Carras, senior vice president of domestic restaurant development for McDonald??s. "And we have to do so faster than we ever have before."

If the change works, "This could be a game-changer for McDonald's," said UBS analyst David Palmer.

Among the renovation highlights for McDonald??s:

  • Redoing roofs. The bright red roofs are being replaced with flatter, more conventional roofs.
  • Muting paint. Earth tones replace neon colors.
  • Nixing fiberglass.
  • Updating chairs. Industrial steel chairs are giving way to wooden chairs, colorful stools and faux leather chairs.
  • Junking the fluorescent look. Overhead fluorescent lights are being swapped with contemporary lamps.

The overall redesign "allows us to broaden our menu," Carras said, and "customer experience can match menu variety."

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