McDonald’s to test new formats in the Dome

McDonald’s is experimenting with a range of hi-tech innovations inside its two forthcoming Millennium Dome restaurants.

The interiors have been designed for adaptation to the rest of the UK chain if they prove successful with Dome visitors.

The Dome branches are being designed by Adcock Clayton Associates, which was appointed from the McDonald’s roster in March. They will consist of a large single-storey site for 500 covers in the main piazza and a smaller two-storey site with views across the Dome in the Core Nine restaurant area.

The piazza restaurant will become McDonald’s’ 1000th in the UK and feature interactive designs to commemorate its 25 years in the UK. The interiors tell the McDonald’s story through graphics and multimedia, against a backdrop of inventions such as digital menus and a redesigned counter experience.

Branding and themed identities for the anniversary and the 1000th branch are being developed in conjunction with fellow rostered consultancy Paper White, which is also producing a book to reflect the changing face of the restaurants.

“It is almost a showcase environment,” says Adcock Clayton Associates director Neil Clayton. “The feeling in McDonald’s is that if customers react well to certain elements they will be able to be rolled out across the chain.”

McDonald’s is expected to launch the store to its senior executives when the UK anniversary comes around in October.