Let me get a double cheeseburger, with lettuce, tomato and green peppers, hold the pickles, onions and special sauce.
It's safe to say that anyone who has tried to customize their order at a fast food chain has received their share of eye rolls and attitude from employees, but McDonald's is thinking about changing the company's image with the expansion of the DIY (do-it-yourself) burger concept.
McDonald's launched an extremely limited "build-your-own burger" experiment last year, and now the fast-food chain plans to expand that test, the Associated Press reported.
The world's biggest hamburger chain has been testing the build-your-own concept at a single restaurant in Laguna Niguel, California, where customers select from various bun, patty, cheese and topping combinations by tapping on a tablet embedded on the counter.
Kevin Newell, U.S. brand and strategy officer for McDonald's, told the AP that the tests were successful and the chain is looking push the experiment elsewhere. Newell added that the experiment attracted a different type of crowd and "more of a dinner-time crowd."
"It'll be more than five, less than a hundred," Newell said, without providing a specific number to how many restaurants would be included in the expanded test. Newell added that all locations will be in Southern California.
Newell did not provide a specific number on the sale impact, but told the AP that the "purpose of the expanded test is to get more data."
The idea is nothing new to fast food.
McDonald's "build-your-own-burger," puts the chain inline with the growing trend of customization in the fast-food industry. Eateries such as Chipotle and Subway are largely known for providing customers with exactly what they want on their burritos and sandwiches.
McDonald's is probably the least open to custom-made order, being famously known for its burgers and sandwiches. A McDonald's ad once explained the condiments inside a Big Mac - "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame bun."
However, the AP reported that the move toward made-to-order may help the nation's largest burger chain earn some of those customers who have taken their business to these competitors.
Along with the "build-your-own-burger" experiment, McDonald's will be adding new prep tables in the kitchens of its more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants. These tables could hold additional toppings and condiments that are not yet being made available on the regular McDonald's menu.
