In an effort to improve their reputation as a “modern and progressive” organization, McDonald’s recently opened the first of its new “high-tech” branches in Hong Kong. As well as allowing customers to order their meals via touch-screen kiosks, the McDonald’s Next restaurant features a salad bar to cater to more health conscious diners. New items offered are said to include a selection of asparagus, quinoa and couscous options. The new store boasts an open-concept design, more ambient lighting, free mobile device charging, and table service after 6:00pm.
As sophisticated as this all sounds, with it’s grey walls, clinical steel fittings and wall mounted telescreens, the place looks more like George Orwell’s worst nightmare than an inviting dining environment. Go in for a quick cheeseburger and you might find yourself inadvertently pulled into a 2 Minutes Hate session, complete with flashing images of the Colonel and the Burger King on screen. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping a McMuffin into a human mouth —for ever.
For the discerning and urbane clientele McDonald’s are looking to attract in future, their newest venture appears to be a bold step in the right direction. The company have already received praise for at least attempting to elevate the fast food experience with the Next store after plans to overcome declining revenue and a fall in guest traffic were announced last year. Nevertheless, given the choice, I would still much rather drink my Victory Gin in a ditch with the proles, thank you very much.
Images courtesy of CNN.com
The first picture looks just like a high school I taught at or a college seminar classroom. Talk about bleak!
I’ll pass, thank you very much. I hope that it is not well received and not adopted by every other business as a new design.
Looks like a perfect environment for robots. Wonder if it has any employees.
It looks ghastly. The key word in this is, of course, dystopian. I’ll join you in the ditch.
The School of Junkfood, you can major in Obesity.
Ex-ter-min-ate
This looks like the backroom Sonmi451 in Cloud Atlas to me
I am irrationally terrified.
I don’t know what’s more amusing, this ridiculous ‘rebranding’ escapade or your last sentence. HAHAHAHAHA
Perhaps this is a means of creating a ‘non junk food illusion’. In which case, they’ve been very unsuccessful.
Yikes, I’ve seen machines with more soul.
fillet Mignon burger made out of edible plastic produced by a 3d printing robot?
no windows so you can’t be distracted from the goodness about to befall upon you! OR GET AWAY lol
not sure I like the seating area, reminds me of a prison meeting room – seen on TV I hasten to add!
This might happen in the US if the McDonald’s employees keep asking for $15 an hour lol
This reminds me of my elementary school cafeteria in NYC. AHH!!!! Having read 1984 I can definitely say this image rings true to form!
Oh man… Well observed, that is exceedingly creepy.
it does look like something from 1984, and in combo with McDonal’s,,, it all looks quite scary!
Lol. that looks like a classroom 😀
“Big Ronald is watching you.”
I just finished (re)reading 1984, from the pictures you seem to be spot on!
for a moment it really look like a classroom set up than a fast food joint….