Does anyone knowif the new McDonald's will have an indoor playland?
I too saw it on Sunday, and sure looked like it had a very small one in it.


Pics or it didn't happen.
I can confirm as well, they were applying window decals and polishing up the glass, it's close to opening.

Thanks, I thought that I read that there would be a playland inside originally. I drive by it all the time and it doesn't look like there is enough room for one. I guess a small one makes sense.

Unless that is what the 2nd floor is for...LOL

From Metro:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/23rdmcds.jpg

Does anyone knowif the new McDonald's will have an indoor playland?

Yes. It's already in place.

So are they going to include any additional landscaping? It would be nice to see a parking spot or two replaced with some nice flowers, trees, or perhaps a patio. . . doubt that's going to happen though.

I met with the ownership group this morning. This is only the third McDonalds of this concept in America. They will be opening this weekend if all goes as planned.

From Metro:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/23rdmcds.jpg

This is about as McUgly as it gets. I live in Gatewood and go by this thing every day and it gets uglier every time I see it. I hope some graffitti artists tag that giant blank brown cinder block wall with something urban interesting.

Every year NW 23rd gets more and more like NW Expressway, which I also drive every day going to work. More strip malls set back from the street with the parking in front. It would be nice to see some new development beauty between Classen and Penn, but don't hold your breath.

As far as McDonald's go, I can't complain really. And there was no use of eifs, which is good. All in all, it's still just a McDonald's.

LOL

Years ago when I was working there, we joked that we would never come out with a steak sandwich, because they would call it a McSteak. They did and they did and it was. We had to add beef flavoring seasoning to it to give it any taste at all (unlike the burgers that are just seasoned with good old salt).

yes, they have discontinued the Angus burgers. They were part of the premium line and had a premium price tag to go along with it (I honestly couldn't tell any difference in quality so the value for the money wasn't there for me). Supposedly it was a price point based decision and they are going to replace it with different versions of the Quarter Pounder. Although they did that over the years with various lettuce & tomato ones ... remember the McDLT? Didn't have the Quarter Pounder "brand" attached but they used the same hamburger patty and bun. One reason why it failed was they still had the warming bins at the time at the cold side didn't remain cold for very long. Now that they have the humidity controlled staging cabinets, maybe that won't be an issue any more.

The Angus burgers, at least at their inception a few years ago, were among the best offering McD's had. I'm not sure they were as successful controlling their consistency, however. I bought one at a Norman McD's and it was fantastic, but the same one at an OKC McD's was...meh. The key problem I had with them was that the meat, while a generally better quality than most McD's burgers, was unyieldingly dry. They were good, but I'm not surprised at the price-point decision McD's made. They were awfully pricey.

McD's did, about 30 years ago, have something called a "Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich" which was served on a nice, long, toasted bun with grilled onions (yes, actual grilled onions) and was offered with a barbecue sauce. It was *great*, and was introduced about the same time as Chicken McNuggets. Unfortunately, the latter won the day, and the beefsteak san disappeared. Pity. It was a really good sandwich.

The McDLT was really great, too, and keeping the lettuce and tomatoes cold was a novel approach. I've *never* understood why its taken McD's so many decades to come up with a burger sporting lettuce and tomatoes (besides the McDLT)!! The quarter pounder options now available seemed like a no-brainer years ago, but they never did it.

All that said, however, I had a chance over vacation to try what I think was called a Carl's Super Bacon Burger, and oh, man, it was FANTASTIC. I don't eat too many hamburgers anymore, but the flavors on that thing were tremendous for a fast-food burger. Toasted bun, crisp bacon, fresh vegetables,broiled meat (rather than pan or cooktop fried) plenty of ketchup\mustard\etc. It was really delicious, and on balance better than most of what McD's offers these days (no offense).

The McDLT was really great, too, and keeping the lettuce and tomatoes cold was a novel approach. I've *never* understood why its taken McD's so many decades to come up with a burger sporting lettuce and tomatoes (besides the McDLT)!! The quarter pounder options now available seemed like a no-brainer years ago, but they never did it.

Remember the McDonald's Homestyle Burger? It was just a nice big patty with tomato, lettuce, yellow mustard and cheese if desired. I bought them a lot in the middle 90's when they were actually on the menu, but have ordered them ever since with only a blip here and there. Most all stores have someone that knows what I call the "Homestyle old-fashioned burger" and fix it just right. They were better with the angus beef.

Here's a commercial for the Homestyle from the mid 90's.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-hIH58NjIw

Here's another Homestyle commercial.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSGefaaAOH0

The Homestyle Burger came out while I was working there...(IIRC it was marketed as the Texas Homestyle here) was still the same 1/4 lb burger patty that they use on the Quarter Pounders, McDLTs...the difference was the condiments...with the Homestyle it was LOTS of mustard, lettuce, tomato and red onions (rather than the slivered white onions on the Quarter Pounder). We didn't have the smaller Homestyle in this market. It sold pretty well but would have probably done better here if they had dropped the Texas part...

I dont remember a chopped beefsteak sandwich so it might have been a limited test market thing that we didn't have at the time in Florida when the Chicken McNuggets came out. We did have the McSteak when I worked for them here in the late 80s/early 90s. It didn't last long at all

Re: Carl's Jr...Hardees (which Carl's owns) used to have charbroiled burgers. Then the weekend before my first day they switched over to the flat top grill (and had clamshells that you lowered over the patties to cook both sides at the same time...essentially an industrial/commercial version of what would become the George Forman home grill. Then at some point they converted the Hardees here in OKC to Carls. A few years ago when we were in the Kansa City area, we ate at a Carl's/Hardees and ALL of their hamburgers were Angus

Things I miss at McDonald's: the corn dog nuggets, salads with iceberg lettuce instead of the "weeds" they use now and the Orange shake that they used to have during the summer months.

The Homestyle Burger came out while I was working there...(IIRC it was marketed as the Texas Homestyle here) was still the same 1/4 lb burger patty that they use on the Quarter Pounders, McDLTs...the difference was the condiments...with the Homestyle it was LOTS of mustard, lettuce, tomato and red onions (rather than the slivered white onions on the Quarter Pounder). We didn't have the smaller Homestyle in this market. It sold pretty well but would have probably done better here if they had dropped the Texas part...

I dont remember a chopped beefsteak sandwich so it might have been a limited test market thing that we didn't have at the time in Florida when the Chicken McNuggets came out. We did have the McSteak when I worked for them here in the late 80s/early 90s. It didn't last long at all

Re: Carl's Jr...Hardees (which Carl's owns) used to have charbroiled burgers. Then the weekend before my first day they switched over to the flat top grill (and had clamshells that you lowered over the patties to cook both sides at the same time...essentially an industrial/commercial version of what would become the George Forman home grill. Then at some point they converted the Hardees here in OKC to Carls. A few years ago when we were in the Kansa City area, we ate at a Carl's/Hardees and ALL of their hamburgers were Angus

Things I miss at McDonald's: the corn dog nuggets, salads with iceberg lettuce instead of the "weeds" they use now and the Orange shake that they used to have during the summer months.

Man, I do't remember any of those items on the menu. i guess I have tunnel vision. I always get the same thing every time.

The Homestyle Burger came out while I was working there...(IIRC it was marketed as the Texas Homestyle here) was still the same 1/4 lb burger patty that they use on the Quarter Pounders, McDLTs...the difference was the condiments...with the Homestyle it was LOTS of mustard, lettuce, tomato and red onions (rather than the slivered white onions on the Quarter Pounder). We didn't have the smaller Homestyle in this market. It sold pretty well but would have probably done better here if they had dropped the Texas part...

I dont remember a chopped beefsteak sandwich so it might have been a limited test market thing that we didn't have at the time in Florida when the Chicken McNuggets came out. We did have the McSteak when I worked for them here in the late 80s/early 90s. It didn't last long at all

Re: Carl's Jr...Hardees (which Carl's owns) used to have charbroiled burgers. Then the weekend before my first day they switched over to the flat top grill (and had clamshells that you lowered over the patties to cook both sides at the same time...essentially an industrial/commercial version of what would become the George Forman home grill. Then at some point they converted the Hardees here in OKC to Carls. A few years ago when we were in the Kansa City area, we ate at a Carl's/Hardees and ALL of their hamburgers were Angus

Things I miss at McDonald's: the corn dog nuggets, salads with iceberg lettuce instead of the "weeds" they use now and the Orange shake that they used to have during the summer months.

Interesting info. The Hardees in Georgia where I had my burger made 'em with a broiler, not a flat top, so I'm wondering if that's a franchisee option?? Dunno. The Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich was in California in 1981 as part of a test along with McNuggets, and a letter I wrote to McD's at the time was very frank in saying the beefsteak failed. Pity. It took a couple of years before McNuggets made it to OKC.

I've never seen corndog nuggets here in OKC McD's, or the orange shake. Always amazed to hear/see about things at McD's that I've never heard/seen...McPizza comes to mind.

Silly trivia: Not too many people are aware of the fact that the very first McDonald's Drive Through in the entire world. was right here in OKC, at the McD's on S. Penn just south of 59th. You had a lifesize Ronald McDonald statue with a speaker in his pocket, standing in front of a golden arches menu. Once you gave your order, you drove around the building in front of a slew of the ol McDonaldLand characters like Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar, and picked up your order. I don't remember the exact date, but it was years before my parents splitting up (how's that for a benchmark?), so I'm guessing it was around the 1973ish timeframe, plus or minus a year or so.

they are having thier VIP party tonight from 5:00-8:00pm. i am planning to go by there and check it out. My 5 year old has been watching this go up brick by brick. she get a happy meal once a week and she is looking forward to the playland although it is a small playland.

When we lived in Europe, I would get the "Big and Tasty". Coming back to the states, I saw it on the menu and got one. Completely different. I can see why it never caught on with the U.S. crowd.

Corndog McNuggets were available here in OKC when I worked for them in the late 80s/early 90s. Heard of but never saw the McPizza (one article I read was they were having problems with the drive-thru windows not being big enough to get a pizza box thru it without tilting and all the topping sliding off...LOL)

What was the Big & Tasty like in Europe that made it different from in the U.S.?

Saw over at Newsok.com, that they are starting crosswalk construction at the intersection. Don't know what it is going to involve but things might be snarled up. When I went by there wednesday, they still didn't have the drive-thru menu boards installed but that may have changed.

What was the Big & Tasty like in Europe that made it different from in the U.S.?

It was bigger and tastier [/sarcasm]
Actually, it was only slightly bigger, but had a different kind of cheese on it and different condiments.

From Wikipedia:

The Big N' Tasty consists of a seasoned quarter-pound (4 oz, 113.4 g) beef patty with ketchup, mayonnaise, slivered onions, two dill pickle slices, leaf lettuce, and one tomato slice on a sesame seed bun.
The Big Tasty configuration is somewhat different, consisting of a third-pound (150 g) beef patty, 5-inch sesame seed bun, square-cut lettuce, two tomato slices, sliced onions, three slices of Emmental cheese, and Big Tasty sauce (which has a smoke flavor)

All lit up

3854

CM...I don't know why it made the pic so small on your post. I'm taking the liberty of posting it full size from Imgur. Hope that's ok. If not, alert mmm or Pete and my apologies.

http://i.imgur.com/SomR1cN.jpg

CM...I don't know why it made the pic so small on your post. I'm taking the liberty of posting it full size from Imgur. Hope that's ok. If not, alert mmm or Pete and my apologies.

When you click on the image, it gets bigger

Doesn't appear to be open yet.

I think it looks fine. But yeah, they could have done something with the blank wall space; maybe a mural paying homage to the area or city.

Doesn't appear to be open yet.

They officially open this week. June 27th. I must say that this new concept is state of the art with things like LED menues. A dumb waiter moves food from downstairs to the counter on the second floor allowing you to order upstairs as well.The view from upstairs is pretty cool. You can see the State Capitol Dome. They also have a tall climbing stricture for the kids.

The thing that seems to be missing from the example pic at the top of the thread is the lack of a large red panel anywhere???

Drove by last night and still blocked off, drive-thru menu boards still weren't installed and the City has that intersection totally mucked up with the crosswalk redo. DOn't know when the City plans on having the work done but maybe they should have done it while the building was still under construction rather than during its opening?

The thing that seems to be missing from the example pic at the top of the thread is the lack of a large red panel anywhere???

Drove by last night and still blocked off, drive-thru menu boards still weren't installed and the City has that intersection totally mucked up with the crosswalk redo. DOn't know when the City plans on having the work done but maybe they should have done it while the building was still under construction rather than during its opening?

You're giving Public Works dept WAY too much. They can't coordinate Project 180 with other high profile projects, much less the foresight to coordinate a relatively small McDonald's and street construction.

The thing that seems to be missing from the example pic at the top of the thread is the lack of a large red panel anywhere???

Drove by last night and still blocked off, drive-thru menu boards still weren't installed and the City has that intersection totally mucked up with the crosswalk redo. DOn't know when the City plans on having the work done but maybe they should have done it while the building was still under construction rather than during its opening?

Agree. The final build isn't nearly as attractive as the one posted at the top of the thread.

While I agree the other looks better, it's still a nice looking McDonalds...Are we actually complaining?

Seriously though...kudos to McDonald's for always keeping their buildings looking "fresh". It seems a waste of money to me, but then, there's a lot of people getting work from constant updating and surely McDs can afford to disburse money throughout the economy. Almost makes me want to eat at a McDonald's

...Almost...

If they would redo the parking lot and add more landscaping, that would help a lot!!!!! Also, I wish they would've built a new sign.

I don't know about the "fresh" part...seems they keep coming out with a different design every couple of years now...it gets confusing..they used the one design for decades and it came to an expectation...THIS is a McDonalds...same with most of the other fast-food outlets...they had distinctive building designs that wee an integral part of the brand...now, not so much.

That said, I don't object to this design that much but it could have been so much better...we have seen many examples of it, Steve even did a recent article on it.

It is really nice inside for a McDonalds. i really like the second floor.

IIRC, the recent push to redo all McDonalds buildings was part of a very aggressive business strategy to trend their business to be competitive with Starbucks and similar coffee shops. They found themselves in a very good position going into the recent economic downturn and having just introduced the McCafe concept, decided to trend their ambiance away from kid-friendly, garish-colored, playground-themed plastic furniture that you could clean with a fire hose to a hipster coffee shop that their target demographic wouldn't mind spending some time in. Hello free WiFi and soft muted colored cushions. Goodbye Ronald McDonald. Parents still bring their kids, so they haven't lost anything but they are making money hand over fist with the McCafe brand. They are now very well positioned to take on Subway, the distant number two in the fast food biz and are tackling them with the McWrap. Personally, I don't think they will have the same success in that battle, but who knows? As it is, I think this latest theme highlighting the McCafe brand will stay for a while.

I like it. I really like all the pictures of local buildings and what not on the walls.

IIRC, the recent push to redo all McDonalds buildings was part of a very aggressive business strategy to trend their business to be competitive with Starbucks and similar coffee shops. They found themselves in a very good position going into the recent economic downturn and having just introduced the McCafe concept, decided to trend their ambiance away from kid-friendly, garish-colored, playground-themed plastic furniture that you could clean with a fire hose to a hipster coffee shop that their target demographic wouldn't mind spending some time in. Hello free WiFi and soft muted colored cushions. Goodbye Ronald McDonald. Parents still bring their kids, so they haven't lost anything but they are making money hand over fist with the McCafe brand. They are now very well positioned to take on Subway, the distant number two in the fast food biz and are tackling them with the McWrap. Personally, I don't think they will have the same success in that battle, but who knows? As it is, I think this latest theme highlighting the McCafe brand will stay for a while.

Good point, and I totally agree. Speaking for myself, it won't work.

Besides the fact that they don't serve breakfast 24hrs a day, I'm committed to Dunkin Donuts and 711 for coffee. If I want something really tasty I go with Starbucks or Panera. I don't even consider McDonalds.

McD's coffee is alright. I like DD and 711 too. Starbucks has a tendency to over roast their beans thus giving it a bitter taste.

Gene: not a coffee drinker myself, and although they don't serve breakfast 24/7, I think they do have coffee and the coffeehouse type stuff all-day long???

Gene: not a coffee drinker myself, and although they don't serve breakfast 24/7, I think they do have coffee and the coffeehouse type stuff all-day long???

They do, yes. But if I want coffee and I'm hungry, I can't get coffee and a big mac. I don't know why, it just seems gross. Should I go to Dunkin Donuts around 3pm I can get a sausage egg croissant with hashbrowns and a large coffee. If I go to Sonic at 3pm I'll get a Super Sonic Breakfast Burrito with coffee.

Those are just examples, but my point is that I like coffee at anytime during the day, but I only like breakfast foods to go with my coffee.

EDIT: Also Panera usually has bagels and breakfast pastries well into the day.

Probably the only reason breakfast is not an option all day is the grill has to be a different temperature to cook sausage patties than hamburger patties

Probably the only reason breakfast is not an option all day is the grill has to be a different temperature to cook sausage patties than hamburger patties

So here's the 1 million dollar question:

Does Sonic take a hit on the cost of serving breakfast all day to make customers happy...
or
Do they actually make enough money to justify running dual grills (or whatever the difference may be).

It apparently works for them since they have done it for at least a few years, I am not really sure how long they have either had breakfast or served it all day

It apparently works for them since they have done it for at least a few years, I am not really sure how long they have either had breakfast or served it all day

I was working as a carhop my senior year in HS when it started (1999). My buddy who was a cook threw a fit when they announced it, but I think he got used to pretty quick. I never thought to ask him what extra work was involved.

While it is true that there is often different temperatures for breakfast items than the others, especially for the meats, it doesn't have to be that way. Eggs do probably require a lower cooking temp as it can burn to easily at higher temps. Also, didn't McDonald's start serving BOTH breakfast and reg like after midnight? If they can do it then with different temps, why not other times. Other places (like Sonic) seem to figure out how to serve full menu all day.

I took my 5 year old there yesterday. She had a blast playing on the rock wall and climbing toy. There were a dozen other kids on it too. She did not want to leave. Good marketing ...it got me to sit there and eat while she played.

GaryOKC6 - I was there for dinner last night as well. We ate on the second floor. My kids enjoyed the play area as well.

Jack in The Box is serving breakfast all day and Whataburger does it for half the day 11pm-11am.

As kitchen technology advances, I can actually see the day where fast food places will specialize in a wide vareity of breakfast/lunch/dinner menu items and maybe even have a short order menu.

Mcdonalds is probably not far away from being full menu 24 hours just simply because almost every location has 24hour service in the drive thru. A select few have their dining rooms open around the clock.

JTIB & Taco Bell are the type of places where dang little is actually cooked in the restaurant anymore. Things are just thawed out and reheated and then assembled. Some things aren't effected that much, others do not perform well during the translation.

Discovered a major functionality design flaw with this store. They have essentially eliminated the drive-thru overhangs (small and attached too high on the building to serve a functional purpose). Not only were customers getting wet but the employees and the inside of the building. They had towels along the windowsill and a mop to try to control the flooding inside the store.

That is minor. The big goof is the fact that the layout is incredibly inefficient. By the time you put in two stairways, an elevator, two ordering counters, two complete drink areas and a two-story play area, there is little room left for actual seating. The place is claustrophobic when there are more than a few people in the building.

Minor, not when you and the inside of your vehicle are soaked...not to mention what is happening to the inside of the restaurant with flooding. But I agree, that seems to be the trend with McDonald's these days...less and less seating. Can only presume that means they are getting a higher percentage of customers in the drive-thru which makes the overhang design flaw more of an issue...but only during wet weather....