jjcollins
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 26, 1999
Bamboo doors flanked by murals of exotic wildlife open into a new restaurant that features soothing music of Africa and an occasional bird call from an animatronic toucan.
Animal prints on the chairs and the walls are accompanied by tribal masks, wood carvings and more paintings of wild animals.
This is no ordinary McDonald's.
Longtime Orlando-area McDonald's franchise operators Gary and Jeanie Oerther this week opened the nation's first safari theme McDonald's outlet, in southwest Orlando.
Oerther, a longtime McDonald's operator, is known for taking the basic Golden Arches model and giving it a distinctive twist. Late last year he launched an "upscale" McDonald's outlet on Sand Lake Road which targets adults and older children and features gourmet pizza and coffees and a pool table. The Oerther family also owns one of the top-grossing McDonald's in the country, an outlet on International Drive not far from Sand Lake Road.
The safari eatery is strategically located at Kirkman Road and Arnold Palmer Drive near one of the main entrances to MetroWest, a large mixed-used development not far from the Universal Orlando tourist attraction.
"Our focus is to provide an overall experience that takes McDonald's to the next level," Oerther said. The trick, he said, is to blend "fun with fast food" in new and different ways.
The safari McDonald's boasts wood fixtures and tile floors, five chandeliers and other features with a slight British influence, said Rick Swisher, a veteran Winter Park architect who created the design. He also designed the upscale gourmet McDonald's on Sand Lake Road.
The menu of both includes the staple McDonald's burgers and fries fare with a few additions such as gourmet pizza with a variety of toppings.
McDonald's representatives say that franchise operators nationwide are given considerable latitude to come up with new ideas, as long as the menu and other aspects of the operation meet the company's requirements for quality and consistency.
Orlando, with its influence from Walt Disney World, is a popular spot for restaurant theming and has a long history of creating restaurant concepts.
Doug Christopher, an analyst who follows McDonald's for Crowell Weedon, a brokerage in Los Angeles, said markets such as Orlando are ideal for restaurants that experiment with nontraditional designs and menus.
Two of the world's best known theme restaurant chains, Hard Rock Cafe International and Planet Hollywood International, are based in Orlando.
jj.........
Animal prints on the chairs and the walls are accompanied by tribal masks, wood carvings and more paintings of wild animals.
This is no ordinary McDonald's.
Longtime Orlando-area McDonald's franchise operators Gary and Jeanie Oerther this week opened the nation's first safari theme McDonald's outlet, in southwest Orlando.
Oerther, a longtime McDonald's operator, is known for taking the basic Golden Arches model and giving it a distinctive twist. Late last year he launched an "upscale" McDonald's outlet on Sand Lake Road which targets adults and older children and features gourmet pizza and coffees and a pool table. The Oerther family also owns one of the top-grossing McDonald's in the country, an outlet on International Drive not far from Sand Lake Road.
The safari eatery is strategically located at Kirkman Road and Arnold Palmer Drive near one of the main entrances to MetroWest, a large mixed-used development not far from the Universal Orlando tourist attraction.
"Our focus is to provide an overall experience that takes McDonald's to the next level," Oerther said. The trick, he said, is to blend "fun with fast food" in new and different ways.
The safari McDonald's boasts wood fixtures and tile floors, five chandeliers and other features with a slight British influence, said Rick Swisher, a veteran Winter Park architect who created the design. He also designed the upscale gourmet McDonald's on Sand Lake Road.
The menu of both includes the staple McDonald's burgers and fries fare with a few additions such as gourmet pizza with a variety of toppings.
McDonald's representatives say that franchise operators nationwide are given considerable latitude to come up with new ideas, as long as the menu and other aspects of the operation meet the company's requirements for quality and consistency.
Orlando, with its influence from Walt Disney World, is a popular spot for restaurant theming and has a long history of creating restaurant concepts.
Doug Christopher, an analyst who follows McDonald's for Crowell Weedon, a brokerage in Los Angeles, said markets such as Orlando are ideal for restaurants that experiment with nontraditional designs and menus.
Two of the world's best known theme restaurant chains, Hard Rock Cafe International and Planet Hollywood International, are based in Orlando.
jj.........
