McDonald's to Upgrade Restaurants With Self-Order Kiosks, New Ways to Pay

CHICAGO, IL — McDonald's customers might soon be able to use touch-screen, self-order kiosks to order a burger and fries and pay for it with Apple or Android Pay. Those changes were unveiled Thursday as part of the fast-food chain's efforts to upgrade its U.S. restaurants.

More than 500 locations in Florida, New York and Southern California have already seen some of these improvements, and McDonald's plans to roll out upgrades in Chicago, Boston, Seattle, San Franciso and Washington, D.C., starting in 2017.

Other ways the Oakbrook-based company is trying to enhance the dining experience for customers include:

• Table Service: After ordering at the touch-screen kiosks, diners will be able to sit at a table and wait for a McDonald's employee to bring their food.
• New Food Options: A premium menu will offer guacamole, Sriracha mayonnaise, new desserts and "Signature Crafted" recipes. Changes also will be made to the chain's standards, such as using butter instead of margarine for the Egg McMuffin.
• New Drive-Throughs: McDonald's is experimenting with digital menu boards at the drive-through that would continuously change to show different deals and offers throughout the day. Double-lane drive-throughs also are being rolled out.
• New Décor: Redesigned restaurants will feature contemporary colors, modern graphics and digital menus.

McDonald's also plans to hire and train new employess to better serve customers.

Improvements would be financed largely by the franchisees with corporate chipping in, according to the Chicago Tribune. A cost on the upgrades was not given.

An example of the new design improvements McDonald's plans to roll out in its restaurants starting in 2017. (photo via McDonald's)

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