It's a little known fact but Formby is home to the biggest drive-thru restaurant in the UK. Based at the site of Altcar Road - previously occupied by MJ's Steakhouse - the McDonald's here opened in 2019 and has people flocking to it from across the region.
While the site boasts some of the 'latest innovations from McDonald's, it's the size of the restaurant that has been grabbing people's attention, reports Liverpool Echo. The Formby McDonald's seats 279 inside, features free-to-use tables and mobile phone charging points, an outside patio seating area and a soft play area, as well as a space just for arts and crafts and a barista coffee area.
On top of this, it also houses the franchise group's regional office and staff training centre. At the time of opening, franchisee Mark Blundell, who has worked for the fast food chain for around 20 years and runs 10 restaurants around Liverpool, called it the 'Maccies King of Merseyside', but had no idea it would become such a hit.
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Speaking to the ECHO, Mark said: "It was an empty and existing restaurant building which we converted into a McDonalds rather than replace with one of our traditional buildings. We think the Formby store is a fantastic looking and unique building...the Formby site had taken over the previous site of a drive-thru independent diner, which was massive.
"There is a lot to benefit from such a big welcoming atmosphere and our customers can enjoy a light, airy space with no shortage of available seats."
Enjoying its moment in the spotlight, the Merseyside McDonald's, just off the Formby Bypass has racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. One video on TikTok has been viewed 216,000 times and shows a couple describing the restaurant as "the Disneyland of McDonald's".
Speaking on the Drive-Thru's popularity, Mark adds: "It is fantastic to be such a destination for not just our local customers but to customers around the country. The site is a unique site that people are intrigued by."
Building on its success, the McDonald's has also launched it's own TikTok page, which has videos with over one million views. Mark notes: "Our staff love to make the content at quieter times and it’s a great opportunity for them to work creatively as a team while giving our customers a window into how things work and what we’ve been up to."
Looking beyond social media though, the UK's biggest Drive-Thru restaurant has also played a key role in the community, especially during the cost of living crisis as people look for cheaper ways to eat. Mark adds: "With cost cuts across the UK in pretty much every business and also in every household, it has never been harder for families to find a reasonably priced meal and free activities for children at the time when people need it the most.
"As well as our variety of food and offers, we think our soft play areas, tablets and free face painting, crafts, and balloon modelling, every Saturday and Sunday 12 to 4pm, give our customers added service and hospitality and great value for money."
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