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McDonald's Japan goes a bit 'hipper' in Shibuya

A few Shibuya locations of Japan's most popular food purveyor break from the normal brand identity and go a little more fashionable
 
new McDonalds Japan look The black color and wood paneling are almost minimalist. (Photo by Flickr user shibuya246)

On April 25, McDonald's Japan unveiled its new 'chic' store concept -- completely losing the red and yellow pop colors for something more discriminating. There will be 13 of these locations in Tokyo, with the first batch opening in the Shibuya.

What will these stores look like? Blogger Shibuya246 snapped the façades of the new Shibuya locations. The Park Street (Koen-doori) store in particular has gone for a very sleek design that drops the all-American kitsch of the original brand identity. This is somewhat odd for Shibuya, seeing that the dominating gyaru subculture is obsessed with bad taste in all of its forms. We guess McD's wanted to give them a lesson in aesthetics.

What about the inside of the new chic McDonald's? Party blogger Mai Sassy Girl hit the opening event and has pictures of the staff and space. The register girls wear black bandannas with white printed text around their necks, as well as matching colored berets and skirts. Guys have squared engineer's caps. The color range of the uniforms is oddly muted, ranging from 'earthy' brown to Professor Plum purple and hospital wall green.

The interior design is also a step up from normal. The furniture includes luxury imported sofas, and the bathroom doors have sub-Keith Haring scrawls to indicate Men and Women. The background radio even includes spoken interludes from celebrity DJ Chris Peppler. This will be very different from the McDonald's on the east side of town that serve as makeshift refugee camps.

The food, of course, will be the same good old hamburgers, fries and shakes you have come to know over the years, but some items will be slightly more expensive than a normal McD's. Hey, someone's gotta pay for all that European modernist furniture, you know. 

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In my opinion Macdonalds needs to focus more on being environmentally friendly and health conscious. 1) The leader and giant of the fast food industry should lead in changing the way the take out drive-thru is structured and used. Consider all of the emissions from automobiles idling in line ups at the MacDonalds Drive Thru. 2) Instead of just pretending to care about people and their health, show that you really care by providing a much bigger selection of health conscious food. Here in Niagara Falls Canada, I cant buy any kind of whole wheat bun, bagel, or wrap at MacDonalds. I take most of the responsibility for becoming a diabetic today, but fast food did play a part. Today, Diabetes is sweeping developed nations, along with junk food and a lack of physical activity. Michelle Obama want kids to get moving. MacDonalds CEOs...WHY DONT YOU GET MOVING!!! Creating better health nationally and world wide is a multi-facetted approach. We need to clean up the environment, and provide better food choices. Look at the companies that will be benefitting from green renewable energy...They are the pioneers that will make a fortune in the future. Dont miss the opportunities to prosper and to make the world a better place.
In my opinion doxrox, you need to realize that this is a private corporation and they make their own decisions. With time the world changes and nothing is the same now as it was 20 years ago. With time your wishes will become a reality and the corporate world will go green, not because its better, but because it will become cheaper.

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