FOLLOWING a redesign, McDonald's on Old Seals Way Retail Park has reopened as one of the first 'Convenience of the Future' McDonald's restaurants in the UK and Ireland.

A £600k revamp has combined a new layout with the latest technology to create a more seamless and enjoyable experience for customers looking for greater speed, efficiency and choice when ordering their food.

With the rise in delivery and the way customers order, collect and enjoy their McDonald’s continuing to evolve, Chester Retail Park McDonald’s 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.

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.

The restaurant is also excited to announce the implementation of a series of sustainable innovations, initially trialled at McDonald’s first net-zero carbon emission restaurant in Market Drayton, as the business works towards its target of achieving net zero emissions across all its restaurants and offices by 2030.

The Chester restaurant includes LED lighting and wall graphics made from recycled coffee cups; recyclable floor and wall tiles; plus, furniture which is made from fully recycled materials and that is also fully recyclable itself.

Chester and District Standard:

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, Jeanette Roe who owns and operates 3 restaurants across Cheshire & Flintshire, said: "We are pleased to have reinvested in our Chester Retail Park restaurant again providing separate facilities for our customers and couriers thus leading to a better experience for all. I’m excited to see the new look and feel of our Chester restaurant now in action and I hope for a better customer experience for all the Chester locals and to the many visitors to our beautiful city."

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.