McDonald's: The New Dining Room

Walking in the clear glass doors of the restaurant, I am greeted to a stunning scene. Before me, navy blue marble wallpaper coat all of the walls. The dark, Aztec–like wood carvings on the wall mesh perfectly with the brown, grainy tile on the floor. Sleek, silver lights flow on the ceiling from door to door. The tables are a dark red and are surrounded by black, glimmering metal chairs with deep purple cushions that swivel back and forth. Looking around, it feels like an elegant dining room that could be on the Home and Garden Channel. So would anyone think that this fits the description of a McDonald’s fast food restaurant? I certainly didn’t but today’s society has forced us out of the home and into the hectic world, so restaurant chain's main priorities are trying to create a “home-y” environment for people on-the-go.

When I walk up to the counter to place my order, I am treated to a bistro-style appearance. The natural colors are pleasing on the eyes. The light wood panels are on the front of the counter, and there is orangeish-yellow wall with prairie grasses and plants on it behind the counter separating the kitchen from the rest of the building. The young lady that takes my order is short and is wearing a red polo shirt covered with a solid black apron. The outfit is handsome and not catchy, which reminded me of a waitress from a sit-down restaurant. To the left of the counter, where the morning coffee is made, is a bright little nook surrounded by stainless steel bars. As I take my order back to my seat (two hot double cheeseburgers and a cup of water), I am further impressed by the dark, grainy floor tiles that compliment the art on the walls. I notice that this particular McDonald’s has a PlayPlace, too. Perhaps this is intended for the children to use when they are waiting for their food to be prepared. That way parents can have conversation that is age appropriate before everyone sits down and eats together. The structure is over two stories high, and slides are brightly colored, from green to purple and blue to yellow. There are viewpoints at every corner of it, and a rope ladder for the more daring children to make an attempt to cross. The large picture frame window that separates the PlayPlace from the rest of the restaurant is covered with little hand print smudges, perhaps of little boys and girls who wished their parents would let them go in and have some fun. When I sit down, I see a mother with her two children, a baby girl and her approximately 2 year old sister. The older girl stole glances at me every now and then, wait until I looked up, and quickly look away, giggling. The mom was visibly stressed out, as she constantly told the two young girls to “Keep eating” and, “Sit still. Now eat your nuggets.” Later, when she was waiting for her order of food, she said multiple times, “Just put it in a bag or just hand it all to me, I just need my food!”
When I start eating my food, I realize just how good fast food can taste. The hot, juicy hamburgers taste like they were grilled perfectly, with all the juices flowing from them. The two patties are complimented by a spread of ketchup, bright yellow mustard, and minced onions. The pungent odor released by the onions overpowered every other possible whiff that could have traveled to my nose. When I unwrapped the second double cheeseburger, I noticed that the grease from the hamburger patties had soaked into the thin paper wrapping. I wondered at this juncture whether or not this was healthy for someone to eat all of this fatty juice. Surely if mom was cooking at home she would make sure it was healthy!
After these thoughts, as the mother was at the counter again, complaining about how long her order was taking, the little girl somehow slipped and fell off her chair, her radiant pink shoes kicked up in the air. She screamed and started to breathe heavily. The mom came rushing over and picked her up and began to comfort her as any good mother would. To my surprise, as well as the mother’s too I am sure, the little girl never cried. Obviously impressed, the mom said, “Were you scared? You are such a big girl, you didn’t even cry!” It was nice to see the mother finally look relieved and have a smile on her face.
Looking around at all of the people in McDonald’s at this particular time, I noticed that none of them were with their entire family. The woman sitting by herself texting, the old man drinking coffee by the window, and the mother and her two young girls all were missing someone from their lives. I wonder what life would be like if all of these fast food stops like McDonald’s were obsolete. Would there be more family time? Families would be forced to sit down and eat their meal while enjoying each other’s company and not rush in and out at mealtime at their own discrection. I think that there is more stress associated with today’s society. There is a constant need to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. We are not giving ourselves enough time to breathe, much less communicate with one another. I know that when I was younger, my family would sit down for at least one meal every day. My parents would try and teach us that family is important. With so much going on in this day and age (like sports, hanging out with friends, shopping, band, homework; the list goes on and on) the “family” is becoming non existence. With all that being said, I think that venues like McDonald’s are helping to eliminate “fast” food and bring it down to a relaxed pace. They are creating an inviting envrironment for all customers with a modern, "home-y" approach, and emphasizing family values by creating this type of space.