McDonald’s is trying out a new approach to their drive-through restaurant model, and the fast food chain picked North Texas as its testing grounds.
The new restaurant, which opened Dec. 1 in White Settlement, is designed around mobile orders and has a drive-through lane for customers who place their orders through the McDonald’s app. Mobile orders come out on a conveyor belt for quick grab-and-go service.
The inside of the restaurant is smaller than typical McDonald’s restaurants because it, too, is designed for grab-and-go service, not dining in. There are kiosks where customers can place to-go orders, as well as a delivery pick-up room for third party delivery drivers to pick up orders.
“At McDonald’s, we’ve been setting the standard for drive-thrus for more than 45 years,” said Max Carmona, senior director of global design and restaurant development at McDonald’s, in a prepared statement. “As our customers’ needs continue to change, we are committed to finding new ways to serve them faster and easier than ever before.”
For now, White Settlement is the only place in the country where this McDonald’s model can be found, but the company said it is part of their growth strategy.
“The technology in this restaurant not only allows us to serve our customers in new, innovative ways, it gives our restaurant team the ability to concentrate more on order speed and accuracy, which makes the experience more enjoyable for everyone,” said Keith Vanecek, the franchisee operating the test restaurant.
The new McDonald’s test concept is located at 8540 West Freeway, White Settlement.