The Infamous hamburger chain McDonalds has spent the last 3 years busily redecorating and furnishing their restaurants across the globe. The images of various McD’s makeovers that I have found on the internet indicate that the designs vary wildly in each country; even in different localities of the same country. Whilst pictures show that the newly styled McDonald’s in Los Angeles is admittedly -a clean looking, neutrally coloured and stylish affair, my local store in Bognor Regis (England) is a putrid, “Americanised” green and brown affair, lacking the class of the Californian design.
The solid fixed plastic fastfood furniture has now been replaced by padded upholstery, wood tables and hanging lamps. It still looks cheap and disposable despite its pseudo-modern first impression. Garish orange, semi-curved modular seating – similar to those typical to reception hotel furniture has now also been placed at the front of the store too, for use by the coffee-shop keen generation. Different areas are partitioned off with coloured glass walls too, adding an element of privacy between you and your Big Mac. This layout sounds much cooler than it actually is.
Bognor’s Micky D’s is now also emblazoned in images trying to promote how the brand can be a part of a healthy lifestyle (think Subway style pictures of juicy tomatoes and lettuce) and messages reiterating that everyone is in fact “loving it!” Tacky with a capital “T”. It’s enough to make you gag.
I am not convinced by McDonalds’ take on contemporary furniture It’s enough to make you sick. The failed efforts to go slightly upmarket with the restaurants interiors seems paradox to the standardised grease soaked menus that are served up. A few new chairs and a splash of colour isn’t going to convince too many people that the corporations food is now worthy of ingestion but the chav Bognor regulars that frequent the store seem happy enough with the changes.