A restaurant consultant who says he's seen an internal McDonald's memo claims that headquarters is encouraging franchisees to remodel their establishments by sweetening the financial pot when their
contract is up, Kathy Bergen reports. The goal, he indicates, is to create a Starbucks-like experience where people will feel comfortable lingering and, of course, spending.
Franchise
consultant Richard Adams says a new pilot program offers a higher level of corporate financial assistance to franchisees than before, and that the company hopes an additional 400 to 600 restaurants
will remodel over the normal annual rate of 300 to 400.
McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud says remodeling efforts are part of "an evolution of the restaurant redesign that started
back in 2003" and refuses to confirm or deny the existence of any memo. "It's an effort to contemporize existing restaurant locations," she says. Amenities include plasma-screen televisions, lounge
chairs and electric fireplaces in the remodeled restaurants, as well as free Wi-Fi in most U.S. locations.
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