CHICAGO (Reuters) - High-tech jobs may be moving overseas, but one low-tech job Americans could always fall back on was flipping burgers at McDonald's.
But that could change in the not-too-distant future. Later this year, a Chicago-area McDonald's restaurant will fry up hamburgers with an automated grill that dispenses patties directly onto the griddle from a separate freezer compartment, reducing labor and promising fresher sandwiches.
The newfangled equipment, developed in Sweden, is just one of several futuristic concepts the world's largest fast-food company is testing at its Romeoville, Ill., innovation site.
McDonald's Corp. is also experimenting with automation to increase the amount of french fries it can produce during the busy lunch rush. Electronic kiosks that let customers key in their own orders have already moved beyond the lab into actual restaurants in two markets, and will be evaluated for broader use at year-end.
None of the new concepts is yet slated to become permanent, but change itself appears to be the mantra of McDonald's executives, who are attempting to revitalize the fast-food chain with everything from a healthier menu to in-store Internet access and hip-hop commercials promoting Big Macs.
"We want to be contemporary, hip and today," Charlie Bell, chief operating officer of McDonald's, told reporters this week during a rare full-day look behind the scenes at the company's suburban Chicago operations. "We believe innovation is one of the fundamental engines for growth."
The jury is still out on whether McDonald's, which only recently began to overcome more than a year of sluggish sales, can revitalize its business. In recent months, it has battled everything from weak foreign economies to the SARS virus in Asia.
In the United States, its largest market, McDonald's has struggled with declining service, increased competition, and changing tastes from consumers seeking more sophisticated food.
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2003/07/31/news/companies/mcdonalds_jobs.reut/index.htm
But that could change in the not-too-distant future. Later this year, a Chicago-area McDonald's restaurant will fry up hamburgers with an automated grill that dispenses patties directly onto the griddle from a separate freezer compartment, reducing labor and promising fresher sandwiches.
The newfangled equipment, developed in Sweden, is just one of several futuristic concepts the world's largest fast-food company is testing at its Romeoville, Ill., innovation site.
McDonald's Corp. is also experimenting with automation to increase the amount of french fries it can produce during the busy lunch rush. Electronic kiosks that let customers key in their own orders have already moved beyond the lab into actual restaurants in two markets, and will be evaluated for broader use at year-end.
None of the new concepts is yet slated to become permanent, but change itself appears to be the mantra of McDonald's executives, who are attempting to revitalize the fast-food chain with everything from a healthier menu to in-store Internet access and hip-hop commercials promoting Big Macs.
"We want to be contemporary, hip and today," Charlie Bell, chief operating officer of McDonald's, told reporters this week during a rare full-day look behind the scenes at the company's suburban Chicago operations. "We believe innovation is one of the fundamental engines for growth."
The jury is still out on whether McDonald's, which only recently began to overcome more than a year of sluggish sales, can revitalize its business. In recent months, it has battled everything from weak foreign economies to the SARS virus in Asia.
In the United States, its largest market, McDonald's has struggled with declining service, increased competition, and changing tastes from consumers seeking more sophisticated food.
Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2003/07/31/news/companies/mcdonalds_jobs.reut/index.htm