Hey, piggy-backing on the "Upscale Wal-Mart" thread, we also have "upscale" McDonalds in this area too.

The menu is primarily the same, but they offer a few items you can't get at a regular Mickey D's, and on the enside, they have mahogany wood benches, and lots of woodworking on the inside, along with ceiling fans, and brass.

Damn-near "elegant", and definitely "upscale" compared to the other Mickey's in the area. Prime example of this McDonalds is at 121 & Preston on the Plano/Frisco Border, Southeast corner. (It's on the Plano side)

 

Wasn't there a movie with Wesley Snipes several years ago, where sometime in the future Taco Bell became the most elegant, exlusive eating establishment, available only to social aristrocat by reservations only?



Hate to sound stuck up here....
But these companies need to learn thier place in the social ladder.

I just dont see myself ever drinking McWine with McLobster tail.

 

I was in Dusseldorf, Germany over the summer and the McDonalds over there was FANCY. There were leather couches and booths all over, and the whole place was covered in wood and expensive looking wallpaper. They had giant plasma TV's all over the place and those fancy little lights that you see in places like Starbucks.

It was a real treat to enjoy my quarter pounder and not have to sit on some sticky vinyl seat in a plastic booth while watching some little snot-nosed kids run around the playground.

 

Hi Tardman:

Interesting you brought this up. I have been following a lot of stories about franchise/chain stores that have expanded overseas for the last couple of years. I own a franchise, so have access to a lot of trade press and so on.

What seems to be happening, and it cuts both ways, franchises/chains from other countries coming here and our companies going overseas, is that what works in the home country does not always work well in another country.

So, they adapt the franchise/chain layout and process to the new country.
The people responsible for doing the adapting usually get rotated back to their country of origin and if they were successful in the new country, they have a pretty good chance to spread the word that "there is a different, maybe better way to present our company".

Walmart, for example, found that in China they had to have large tanks of live fish and some other types of foodstuffs to attract the traditional Chinese shopper. I would not be surprised, given their success there, if we might not see the same thing here in a Walmart. It is not only highly entertaining, I travelled to China for years and saw this sort of presentation every day, it also assures the buyer of absolutely fresh product, of their choice. Sort of like a high line Japanese or Chinese restaurant in some cities in the US.

As a side note, to set up a restaurant with wood, faux leather and nice lighting costs little more than to do it on the "cheap", something I had to learn the hard way. The plastic seats have a very short lifetime, wooden seats do not sag and last forever, ceiling fans cut down on the HVAC costs and brass trim or whatever will also last forever and require almost no maintenance.

Might never get to MacFilet or MacWine or MacLobster but it might attract a much wider audience.
Bill

 

. . and than you realized you were still eating the same food.

 

Demolition Man

"All" restaurants were called Taco Bell after the franchise wars.

 

the first few experimental "upscale" mcdonalds were in plano, texas and del mar, california. funny thing was i lived in both places when the mcdonalds' first opened and got to try their mcnasty food out

the decor is nicer than your usual crap plastic bench and they offered things like "deli" sandwiches. honestly not very different in any other way from typhical mcdonalds and didnt really attract any new customers

 

I don't think it's really about attracting new customers... McDonald's seems to be well-visited- as they are the "Wal-Mart" of the fast food industry.

When you're number 1, you can afford to take risks, and this upgrade did get them a LOT of press. There are at least 3 "upscale" McDonald's in the Dallas/Plano/Frisco area.

I prefer Burger King to McD's, but- the BK's around here are closing up faster than a married woman's legs after 2-3 years of marriage...

 

There is a McDonalds in or around Gulf shores that has plasma's in it. 3 if im not mistaken. I was certainly surprised

 

Actually the food in Germany tasted a little better than here in the sates. They have very strict laws about what can go into food over there, so that means none of the perseratives and "fillers" that you get at a fast food place here.

 

Naw that wasn't it...

They are closer to Australia so the kangaroo meat is fresher there, that's all.

 

We have some "upscale" mikey d's here in Tulsa. The employees wear black bow ties and cumberbunds (sp?). The have the nice plasma TV's as well. I've been in one that has the leather furniture, however I hate going to that part of town.

 

mmmmmm........nothing beats a bucket of McRoo nuggets after a night of drinking.

 

Yeah, that's where I eat sometimes also, 121 and Preston.. They are called Brookfield McDonald's...

 

I never saw the "Brookfield" before... Is that on the sign now, or on the reciept?

There are several "independently owned" Mickey D's in this area.
You can tell that by ordering a "Large" milkshake at one, and actually get a large cup.. Then go to another one, and your "large" comes in a "medium" cup.

The one I hit 90% of the time is on Coit & Parker, sometimes I'll hit Coit & Legacy, or Independence & Spring Creek. They cut corners on everything, and- if I ask for fries again, and don't get ketchup, somebody's gonna get cussed out... Do I want ketchup? No, I'm gonna choke down this big-azz box of fries & salt, dry.

There are just so many (Mickey D's), it's hard to not go, especially when you have to get your roll on to find a BK (Coit & Park) which isn't that bad, but the other one is on Ohio & 121. The one on Parker & Independence and Sprink Creek & Custer have both closed.

I'll bet there's 12 McDonald's in Plano, alone, especially if you count the one's in the Wal-Mart's.

1.) 121 & Preston
2.) Preston & Park
3.) Coit & Legacy
4.) Coit & Parker
5.) 15th & Custer
6.) Independence & Spring Creek
7.) Spring Creek & Alma
8.) 15th & Central
9.) Plano Parkway & 75
10.) 75 (Central) & Spring Creek (Inside Wal-Mart)
11.) Dallas Parkway & Park (Inside Wal-Mart)
12.) Coit & 190 (Inside Wal-Mart)

If you have money, food is not far from you here. This isn't counting all the other fast food joints, (Taco Bell, Wendy's, BK, Jack in the Box, Taca Bueno, Taco Cabana, Subway (There's a sh*tload of Subways here too), KFC, Popeyes, then there's the PizzaHut/KFC/Taco Bell Combo stores. This doesn't count the real resturants either... Addisson may have "Resturant row", but Plano has "resturant's galore".

In order for Frisco to uproot Plano as the best Suburb of the DFW area, they are going to have to diversify their portfolio. Right now, everything about Frisco, considering shopping and entertainment, is all on Preston Rd.. Another reason why traffic is so effed up, up there.

Frisco: Diversify...