McDonald's gets a French makeover

Can the same place that brings you the Big Mac also offer the cutting edge of architectural style?

Just leave it to the French. McDonald's is testing out a new style, conceived by Paris designer Patrick Norguet, at a store in Villefranche-de-Auragais.

Bold red-and yellow accents, a gray ceramic floor and metal chairs are an effort to re-imagine McDonald's as a family restaurant instead of a hangout for teens, according to Fast Company.

There's standing room as well as private corners with digital ordering terminals -– a model to be replicated at six other locations. 

The golden arches aren’t the only fast food joints looking for a makeover. Burger King says it's in the midst of an "edgy, futuristic" remodel, and Del Taco has launched several sleeker prototype stores. Subway is opening "eco-restaurants" built with recycled materials and topped with solar panels.

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-- Tiffany Hsu

Photos: Patrick Norguet's McDonald's interior. Credit: Fast Company