McDonald's plans to roll out new table service
NEW YORK: McDonald’s Corp plans to offer table service at all of its United States restaurants, upending decades of fast-food tradition in a bid to placate pickier customers.
Table service is currently in about 500 locations, but would be rolled out to the entire US chain, said McDonald’s on Thursday.
The company is also bringing mobile ordering and payments to the country next year, as well as more digital kiosks.
McDonald’s already has table service at some locations in New York, Florida and California, as well as many places abroad. It’s coming soon to markets such as Boston and San Francisco, said the company.
New positions would be created at restaurants to serve food and help customers with touch-screen orders.
The shift is significant for a company most responsible for popularising fast food — along with a more stripped-down approach to restaurant service.
But competition and the rise of fast-casual chains have elevated expectations. Customers also are looking
to technology to help make restaurants more convenient.
“Customers are getting increasingly demanding, and their expectations would only grow,” said chief executive officer Steve Easterbrook said at the event. Bloomberg