Peek Inside McDonald’s Stunning Times Square Flagship, Featuring Table Service and Glass Walls

Nothing says visiting New York’s Times Square, where you can great food from flavors all around the world, by going to an elaborate McDonald’s with table service and glass walls. The international burger chain released new photos of its new “flagship” Times Square restaurant, which is flashier than any McDonald’s in your area.

The new, three-story restaurant is located at 1528 Broadway, at West 45th Street and will be open 24 hours. According to Eater NY, the location can accommodate just over 170 people and covers more than 11,000 square feet. The three floors have floor-to-ceiling glass walls, so New Yorkers on the street can see inside and customers can see “spectacular views” of Times Square.

The location will also include international McDonald’s food items, like the stroopwafel McFlurry from The Netherlands and Australia’s cheesy bacon fries. The items will be available on June 5 for a limited time.
McDonald’s will also include new digital kiosks for ordering, and you can pick up mobile orders.

The new location is part of McDonald’s plan to renovate over 8,000 restaurants across the country to include the digital kiosks. The Times Square location will give the company a chance to see if the $10 billion investment, titled “Experience of the Future,” could pay off.

The new location comes as McDonald’s has faced more pressure over its labor practices. On May 21, 25 women filed new sexual harassment charges and lawsuits against McDonald’s, with the help of the Fight for $15 organization, the ACLU and the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.

“It’s a brutal reality across the fast food industry that at least one in four workers — especially women of color working low-wage jobs — experience sexual harassment as a routine part of their job,” Sharyn Tejani, Director of the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, said in a statement. “Every day, workers are forced to choose between getting a paycheck or speaking up about their abuse. When they report harassment, workers are often fired or have their shifts cut — and since nothing is done to stop it, the scourge continues. Few women working low-wage jobs have the financial security to challenge their harassment. By funding the legal representation of several workers at McDonald’s, we see potential for these charges to be a catalyst for significant change.”

There were also strikes at McDonald’s in 13 cities across the country last month, with 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls Bill de Blasio, Bernie Sanders, Jay Inslee and Julian Castro joining the protesters hoping to get McDonald’s to commit to paying workers $15 an hour.

“McDonald’s Corporation does not control the wages franchisees pay in their own restaurants,” the company said in a recent statement on the issue, reports USA Today. “The average starting wage at corporate-owned restaurants exceeds $10 per hour, and we believe the average starting wage offered by those independent business owners is likely similar. Separately, McDonald’s recognizes the rights under the law of individual employees to choose to join – or choose not to join – labor organizations.”

Photo credit: McDonald’s