McDonald's to Go: fast food chain trials new concept store

The first 'McDonald’s to Go' opened on London’s Fleet Street yesterday (31 July) with no seating area and smaller self-order screens.

It offers a reduced menu of 'freshly prepared' McDonald’s products, including McNuggets and the Big Mac, and will trial a selection of new salads later this year.

Staff wear a different uniform than in the chain's existing restaurants, while takeaway bags feature new branding.

McDonald’s says the new site is about “testing and learning” from the new format, which could vary in future iterations depending on its location.

“Changing tastes, new technology and more competition mean we need to continue to focus on investing in what matters most to our customers,” says Henry Trickey, SVP Development & IT, McDonald’s UK & Ireland.

“We know that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ and that’s exactly why we are launching McDonald’s to Go – to allow us to trial different formats in different locations, depending on customer needs. In Fleet Street, where city workers are looking for something quick to grab on the go, it makes sense to test a smaller format. However, the next McDonald’s to Go could look very different.”

McDonald’s operates over 1280 restaurants across the UK and serves just under four million customers every day.