McDonald’s EOTF Has Samsung tablets now

Visited the McDonald’s EOTF restaurant at south Mumbai’s posh office-cum-residential locality, Nariman Point, yet?, You might be surprised to spot Samsung’s tablets fixed at many of the tables. Go ahead, play!

It’s a bid by Westlife Development, whose subsidiary Hardcastle Restaurants manages the McDonald’s franchise in west and south India, to keep its customers engaged and happy as they enjoy their food at the restaurant.

After all, in today’s “connected” world, there are few people who can’t be seen doing serious work or entertaining themselves via social media on their smartphone or tablet. So, once inside an Experience Of The Future restaurant, you can use the new Samsung Touch2Play Samsung Galaxy Tablets to browse, check your social media updates, or simply play a game.

The move began in the UK, with McDonald's Corporation installing Samsung Galaxy tablets in its restaurants across the island nation as part of the of new initiative called "Experience of the Future". While the Tablets are meant to be used to order food, they do offer basic access to the internet, mobile games and social media apps.

It was not the first time that McDonald’s came up with a tech-focussed marketing plan. Customers in Sweden have already been treated to ‘Happy Meal’ boxes that could be converted into cardboard virtual reality headsets based on Google's Do-It-Yourself design. Elsewhere in Europe, some restaurants offered wireless charging pads. McDonald's is also known to have supported the Apple Pay mobile payments system since its launch in October 2014.

McDonald’s digital tablet enclosures are akin to entertainment hubs, where guests can relax and have a good time. They can play games, read the news, interact on social media, charge their phone using wireless charging, or do what we all love doing: simply browse the internet.

According to a statement, "Technology has an important role to play in all walks of life, including  customers' ‘eating out’ experience. So, the changes we're making as part of the Experience of the Future programme bring us closer to the way people live their lives today."

Another experiment has been the introduction of touch-screen, self-order stations, which goes a long way in reducing the waiting time before an order. The touch-screen kiosks also give customers the option of having their meals delivered to their respective tables, an unheard-of trend in a Quick Service Restaurant.

With its latest initiative, McDonald’s is creating more appeal for its adult as well as child customers, who are never far away from a touch-screen.

In the US too, McDonald's is betting on new technology like mobile orders and payments. The hamburger giant unveiled plans at its annual investor day to make "mobile order and pay" available at all of its 14,000-odd US restaurants by Fall of 2017. "Through enhanced technology to elevate and modernise customer experience, a focus on the quality and value of our food and redefined convenience through delivery, we have a bold vision for the future and the urgency to act on it," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook told the meeting.

Source: http://articles.org/visit-a-mcdonalds-eotf-and-you-may-not-want-to-come-back-home-soon/