Wakefield McDonald's reopens after £600k redesign

McDonald’s at Cathedral Retail Park has reopened after a restaurant redesign, which its says will deliver a better customer experience for all.

Owned and operated by local franchisee, Anne Wainwright, the Wakefield restaurant is one of the first McDonald’s ‘Convenience of the Future’ restaurants in the UK and Ireland.

McDonald’s ambitious ‘Convenience of the Future’ restaurant revamp programme will combine a new restaurant layout with the latest technology.

With the rise in delivery and the way customers order, collect and enjoy their McDonald’s continuing to evolve, the restaurant will now offer a separate ‘McDelivery only’ area, which allows delivery drivers to go in and out of a dedicated courier entrance and service area.

Restaurant renovation designed to improve experience and convenience for customers

This will enable delivery drivers to collect orders more efficiently, reducing congestion in the dining area and giving walk-in takeaway and dining customers more space.

The dedicated courier entrance will also mean there is less noise in the restaurant, creating a more relaxing ambience, particularly during peak busy times.

As well as the environmental and courier changes, improvements have been made for staff including their break spaces. A redesign of crew rooms will create a more relaxing and comfortable space for crew to take a well-deserved break.

McDonald’s franchisee, Anne Wainwright, who owns and operates seven restaurants across Wakefield and Leeds, said: “We are pleased to have reinvested in our Cathedral Retail Park restaurant again providing separate facilities for our customers and couriers leading to a better experience for all.

"I’m excited to see the new look and feel of our Wakefield restaurant now in action and I hope that our customers will enjoy a better experience.”

While the traditional walk-in and Drive-Thru remain core to how customers order, the redesign of McDonald’s kitchens and dining areas as part of Convenience of the Future will better integrate digital sales channels, the McDonald’s App and make smarter use of internal space to enhance the dine in experience.

With dedicated areas for the different ways to order, along with the removal of the front counters, the revamp will offer a more efficient way to order and will leave customers with more space to enjoy their meal.

Gareth Pearson, McDonald’s UK&I COO said: “The pace of change within the restaurant industry is relentless, and the pandemic accelerated this with digital adoption gathering greater pace.

"Our customers rightly expect to have choice in how and where they order and collect their food, and our job is to ensure that every experience is a great one. For this to be the case, we know we also have to provide our restaurant teams and delivery partners with the best possible environment to work in.

“We strongly believe we have to continue to invest to grow, and this investment not only addresses how customers are ordering now but provides us with a platform to continue to adapt in the future, whatever that innovation looks like.”

In 2022, McDonald’s will introduce Convenience of the Future upgrades in 200 restaurants, with 800 planned over the next four years.

The upgrades will continue to evolve with new innovations launching throughout the next four years.