At 11:00 am, the customers are only trickling in. Some are leafing through newspapers while others sit nursing their lattes in small groups.
At 12:00 pm, the new McDonald’s restaurant at 356 Yonge Street is a beehive of activity and yet, there’s no chaos. Staff is quick and the meals are ready in no time. There’s also plenty of seating available for everyone (260 to be exact). The two-storey outlet which opened its doors for business on November 26, is the largest in Ontario and the second largest in the country.
The outlet attracts a lot of students from Ryerson University and U of T because of its proximity to the campuses. Students carry their assignment folders, balance their food trays and make their way upstairs to the spacious McCafe area which is where many of them like to hang out, do their studying or simply look out the window and dream.
Franchise owner Lindsay Bridge hopes that the modern location is a ‘hip place where you can chill’.
And many of them are doing just that — chilling.
It was *Amy and Zara’s first time at the new 9,000 square foot outlet and they’re in love with the place.
“We came across this outlet by chance while looking for a less busy place to grab some lunch,” said Zara.
“It’s quite modern too,” she added.
Young couples enjoy their privacy as well as the warmth from the sleek built-in electrical fireplaces. The seats are comfortable and there’s less of the popular red and yellow colour scheme found at regular outlets and more of a funky black and white design on the walls. A lot of the youngsters think the colour combo and the lighting are impressive but a few others are not so sure.
“I don’t really like that,” said Chad, a student at Ryerson, pointing to the black and white walls. “Or that,” he added, motioning to a string of white lights along the walls.
“But then again, I’m not a design person,” he said shyly.
“There’s plenty of space though,” his friend interrupted.
Chad agreed. “Yeah, that’s the best part.”
Chad and his friend have been to the location a couple of times and they like the fact that nobody’s expecting them to leave right after they’re done with their meals.
There is Wi-Fi available and also several electrical outlets that let students use their laptops and phones to complete their school work without the fear of running out of battery power.
On another table, a group of friends laugh and playfully punch each other. *Dave and his friends have visited the restaurant multiple times since its opening. Like the others, they too enjoy the spacious area as well as the promotional food deals on offer.
“We usually sit here at the top floor,” said Dave. “It has the best view.” His friends nod in agreement.
It’s almost 1:00 pm and more students are coming in with laptops, assignment sheets and an appetite.
*Some names have been changed to protect privacy.
