The new McStarbucks experience?

Burger King, Wendy's and McDonald's have all announced that they are reassessing their standard décor. Stores are considering replacing the traditional hard plactic swivel chairs with comfortable seating, and adding real wood, non-fluorescent lighting, wi-fi service, and more subdued color schemes. McDonald’s in particular has taken aim at the Starbucks clientele by adding premium coffee selections to its menu, and the changes to the ambience go hand-in-hand with that focus.

The traditional fast food chains have typically had furnishings and décor designed to move customers in and out quickly. The potential downside for the changes? If people linger longer, then there’ll be less seating available, possible impacting counter sales. With the predominance of the drive through though, counter service now accounts for only 30 to 40% of the typical store’s sales – so I don’t see that as a big problem for most locations.

Also, if you think about it, a lot of the chain locations have already been offering some incentives to get you to sit and stay, like a children’s play area. In fact one of the malls near my home added a similar area when they found themselves with dead space due to an anchor store renovation.

What’s the upside? It’s probably not that people will spend more on a per visit basis, but rather that they’ll be more likely to frequent the locations. Given the competition between the traditional fast-food chains, and the coffee shop and sandwich chains, it’s inevitable that good ideas for improving the customer experience will be studied and copied.

I haven’t seen any of these new renovations, but I’m hopeful they’ll start showing up in the Chicago suburbs market where I live and work. As someone who spends one to two hours every day in places like Starbucks, I’m always on the lookout for another pleasant place to spend time (and money).

Comments

[Kathleen Gilmartin]

A few years ago, the Taco Bell on University of Purdue's college campus upgraded its décor, adding large leather couches and softer lighting. Although it is still the place to go after bars close for late night food, it is now also the place to go during the day to study. When I first saw Taco Bell's new look I thought it was ingenious, especially on a college campus. It's nice to be able to go somewhere to study and/or hang out during the day, but not have to spend an arm and a leg doing it.