McDonald’s USA confirmed Thursday what obviously has been cooking for months.
It is transforming restaurants to include kiosks for customers to place their orders and introducing table service for food to be delivered.
The fast-food chain announced in New York it will add interactive technology, new premium ingredients and new restaurant designs.
The move has been expected, considering the city has been approving permits for Jacksonville McDonald’s stores to install the kiosks and make other changes.
McDonald’s said it has been changing its menu and kitchens and now is investing in new service options, ingredients and technology.
It said it would put “more choice and control in the hands of our customers.”
The company said McDonald’s restaurants in Florida, and specifically Jacksonville, already are making the transition.
In Jacksonville, seven restaurants have completed the transformation and are using the new technology.
While the technology is in use in 2,600 international restaurants, the McDonald’s stores in Florida, New York and Southern California are the first in the U.S. to evolve to the new model.
Next year, a total of 69 McDonald’s restaurants in the Jacksonville area market will have completed the conversion, it said.
So far in Duval County, the city has issued or is reviewing permits for at least 19 McDonald’s restaurants to add customer kiosks for its menu and soon, its Signature Crafted program.
Will Garcia, a McDonald’s owner and operator and vice president of the Jacksonville area McDonald’s co-op, said the first of his four Jacksonville restaurants went live Nov. 9 and that customer reaction “so far has been great.”
That location is at 8570 Argyle Forest Blvd.
“They have been pleasantly surprised with the improvements made to our restaurant. As more restaurants come online in our market, we will be hiring more crew people for hospitality and other positions. Overall, these are very exciting improvements,” Garcia said.
With the new technology, customers will place their orders at a digital, self-order kiosk. They can pay with credit or debit cards at the kiosk or print a receipt and pay at the cash register. They also can use Apple or Android Pay.
The kiosks allow customers to browse the menu and tailor their meal.
Also, split front counters create a smoother process for customers to order and pick up their meal with more readable digital menu boards, it said.
Customers can order at the counter if they prefer.
McDonald’s said it is introducing table service to bring customers their food orders and it is working with employees to emphasize hospitality, such as greeting customers and assisting with the kiosks.
There also will be new food options, which will come to Jacksonville next year.
McDonald’s said it would introduce Signature Crafted recipes, which will allow customers to design their sandwich by choosing which meat, bun and toppings to use.
Three new signature recipes include Maple Bacon Dijon, Pico Guacamole or Sweet BBQ Bacon.
It said its classic menu items also will be improved, including switching from margarine to real butter on breakfast items and revitalizing its salad blend.
The seven McDonald’s that have transitioned are at:
• 10135 San Jose Blvd. in the Crown Point area
• 8570 Argyle Forest Blvd in Argyle Forest
• 3552 Blanding Blvd. in West Jacksonville
• 51 S. Third St. in Jacksonville Beach
• 435 Atlantic Blvd. in Atlantic Beach
• 103 Tuscan Way in St. Augustine
• 1896 S. Eighth St. in Fernandina Beach
• 909 Dunn Ave. in North Jacksonville
McDonald’s initially reported that the store at 909 Dunn Ave. in North Jacksonville was using the new technology, but that is expected in early December.
Spokesman Joe Wolf with Dalton Agency said the number of crew will not decrease and likely will increase because the restaurants will need the concierge at the kiosks and staff to deliver the food.
He said each McDonald’s in Duval County has, on average, 50-60 full- and part-time employees.
The kiosks were rolled out in other parts of the country by the end of 2014. A USAToday.com report in December 2014 said Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s was expanding its Create Your Taste test in response to declining same-store sales, falling stock prices and a shrinking base of younger customers.
A fact sheet from McDonald’s shows the changes were introduced in more than 500 U.S. restaurants and that it expects restaurants will hire and train new crew members over the next few years.
It said sales and customer satisfaction increased in international restaurants after they transitioned to the new technology and service.
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