Last week I was invited along to see how McDonalds operates behind the scenes, with new technology and a whole new makeover I knew we were in for a treat on this tour of the Silverlink franchise at North Shields.
First off I have to say I have always had an image of McDonalds as a stop gap job for those leaving school, somewhere they would go when no where else was available and full of college kids needing a part time job between classes. I am extremely pleased to say that my visit proved that my thought were completely unfounded and I was very pleasantly surprised with the job prospects and career opportunities available.
We met with the Silverlink franchise owner, Bill who, with his daughter, explained just how great McDonalds is to be a part of. Bill told us how he was one of the first ever franchise owners and how he has gone on to now run 6 of the North East McDonalds restaurants.
After donning our hair nets, caps and aprons we were shown around the restaurant which, after the makeover now features a whole host of new technology to make your dining experience better. The new decor is modern and topical with the larger images on the walls being made up of smaller pictures, the large bottles of milk are made up of thousands of tiny ice creams and the chickens are hundreds of tiny fried eggs.
Our local McDonalds already has the self service kiosks which make ordering a whole lot easier, gone are the days of queuing 10 deep waiting for someone to take your order, now at the touch of a few buttons you can place your order and have it brought over to your table. This is so much easier for me as I struggle to meander through the masses with children, a buggy and a tray of food!
As with all technology there are some amazing updates which include being able to charge your phone at the table, free wi-fi and mini computers at the childs tables to allow them to play games. In the future they are also planning on having games projected onto the table and floors to get the kids active at lunchtime too – I think this is a fabulous idea as all too often little ones need to run off that excess energy.
After talking with the floor staff we were shown through to the kitchen and it was explained just how much McDonalds value our environment, which I found absolutely fascinating! The cooking oils are drained and transported back to the depot where it is recycled into bio oil and used for the trucks transporting backwards and forwards to the stores. Recycling stations are in each restaurant which encourage customers to sort their own rubbish and McDonalds hope to have every single item within each store recyclable within the next few years.
We were shown how to create our own Big Mac and I was surprised to see that each order is created fresh to order. Gone are the days of bulk burgers being made and left to stand in those glass cases waiting for someone to come along and order one. There are stations within the kitchen that allow everything to be made fresh and I really enjoyed seeing just how simple (and quick) it is to make up an order.
My burger was delicious and I will definitely be visiting more now that I know just how fresh and eco friendly McDonalds really is! I use to take the kids as a treat now and again but from now on I will look at it more as an option when eating out rather than a rare quick fix!
XOXO
Debbie
I was invited along to check out the new technology at McDonalds, all views and opinions are my own and genuine.
I worked at McDonalds when I was doing my A levels, their stores have changed a lot since then though.
Wow what a fascinating insight into the behind the scenes of McDonalds that’s really been an eye opener for
Thanks for the behind the scenes look at how technology is changing the fast food industry. Very interesting.
I have actually just used the self service at McDonalds this week, when I was moving around London from one meeting to another and I needed a quick lunch on the go. It was really simple to use and the order came out so quickly.
It’s interesting seeing how companies are keeping up with technology, especially large corporations like Macdonalds. I wonder if it takes away from the quality time as a family over food having so much access to technology though.
I’ve always wanted to go behind the scenes at McDonald’s and prepare my own burger. Oh, I would make some McFlurry too as they are my favourite!