"mcdonalds makeover" news and stories

Call it fast food for the WiFi set or just plain marketing smarts. Either way, it seems that McDonald's is not content to stand by idly and allow the generation of hipsters who grew up downing Happy Meals to slip away.

The mammoth fast-food chain has announced a $1 billion makeover for 400 to 500 of its restaurants and, judging by one of the earliest efforts at least, they appear to be taking aim at a demographic you might more reasonably expect to find sipping Chai soy lattes and reading the New York Times on an iPad on the couches at your local Starbucks.

With its mod recycled aluminum Emeco chairs, a lounge area appointed with sleek, rectilinear soft vinyl couches, and even its trash bins adorned with (presumably faux) orchids, the newly remodeled McDonald's in uber-hip North Hollywood is decidedly not the Mickey D's of your suburban childhood. There's not a Hamburglar or Grimace in sight.

This hip-looking restaurant doesn't take reservations.

A redesigned McDonald's featuring free wireless Internet access, an art deco concept, flat-screen televisions and all-black-clad employees has opened in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood.

The restaurant is the first of its kind to open in the United States, following the success of similarly designed locations in Paris and London, officials say.