The new McDonald's at 11710 Rockville Pike in White Flint will be the third of the company's prototype store design that focuses entirely on drive-thru and takeout orders, and entirely dispenses with indoor dining. Two previous variations on the "On-the-Go" store model have opened in Forth Worth, Texas in 2022, and in Los Angeles in 2024. The Rockville store will have two drive-thru lanes outside. But inside, there is only a small lobby with touchscreen kiosks for ordering purposes. Orders are placed via the kiosks, or in advance using the McDonald's app. Instead of a wide counter with multiple cashier stations, there is only a small window cut out of the kitchen wall, where a crew member will hand out your order when it is ready, using the pickup number you received when placing the order.
This new store model solves many problems at once. It streamlines ordering, and gets pickup and delivery orders out faster. Fewer employees are needed to operate the restaurant. And the issue of loitering is virtually eliminated, since there is no place to "hang out" inside the building. While bulletproof glass would be necessary to fully "crime-proof" the restaurant, it would be more difficult for robbers and other criminals to gain direct access to the employees than at a traditional McDonald's store.
The new McDonald's was already expected to be an improvement over the nearby location that closed last year, simply because this one will have drive-thru service. But the opening will be even more exciting now that the interior construction reveals that this is a rare and new McDonald's store design that few around the country have experienced yet, and the performance of which will influence future McDonald's store designs around the country.
27 comments:
Let's hope this fails. I can't stand takeout nor eating in my car.
Wow, hoping a business fails because it doesn't meet your expectations. I guess that's normal for the voting majority around here.
Likely this Drive-Thru and Pickup ONLY Location came about because they saw how busy the Drive-Thru has been down on River Rd in Bethesda.
Let’s Hope this Location Succeeds ! I like eating in my car and don’t always feel like driving down to the River Rd Location to get Drive-Thru.
Kudos for calling this area White Flint
Interesting. Yeah, no way they had enough room for dining in. Wish that ended up being Shake Shack. Oh well
12:03 - Second. Because it is and always will be White Flint. Bring on the haters.
The old location was often not a pleasant place to eat in.
MCD's on Franconia Road in Fairfax just closed their dine-in option to those under 21.
With liberals in charge, our future becomes more restricted as those elected cater to criminals rather than law abiding citizens. One thinks that democrats would learn from their electoral mistakes but that's just a bridge too far.
JAC: Shake Shack is already at Cabin John Village Shopping Center. They never put their locations too close to each other……
Sir- this is a McDonalds drive through.
Public obnoxious behavior and crime are driving us back into our cars, the same cars our liberal 'leaders' are trying to limit our use of. Additionally, now the same 'leaders' seek to up the wages of FF workers, so now we have fewer so we have to order at from kiosks the restaurant (read: drive-thru) gets to externalities all their 'service' costs.
Result: even more cars and traffic, fewer people earning anymore on their own, more trash and litter on the streets, and the same mediocre food.
@7:34 If you don't get it, you don't get it.
3:53 - Yes and Mont Mall. But I happen to know that they were looking at the now MCD drive thru only site.
The area between Bethesda and Rockville should be called White Flint, although before the mall which is no longer there, the name referred only to a golf course. We used to have a Metro station called White Flint also.
7:54 - That's a great point. Are many Americans unhealthy? Yes. Is MCD a healthy food option? No. In moderation maybe? Sure. Do we need to exercise more and enjoy the outdoors? Of course. But social engineering, which is what the Far Left does, never works. Shutting down entire lanes of traffic on old Georgetown Road is absurd and they'll never reopen them no matter how few, and it's very few, ever use them. By the way, do you think Marc Elrich ever uses a bike lane? I bet he enjoys himself a drive thru. Not to be mean but he could stand to lose 60 pounds. And he still does everything via Zoom from his basement bunker. That's called a limo liberal. Rules for thee but not for me.
I first saw a take-out only restaurant years ago down in a not-so-nice area of DC, and thought things must really be bad to not allow the people into the building. Well, fast forward and this is now happening in good 'ol MoCo, tells you a lot about how multibillion corporations view the future - and it ain't too bright, like many who vote around here!
You missed one thing - Blame everything else but themselves and their foolish actions.
Nothing says dense, urban, walkable community than a drive-through only, fast food restaurant. WALL·E’s overweight human friends in hovering motorized recliners comes to mind. On the other hand, everybody loves a good Scottish restaurant.
Who would drive that far when you can literally look north from this location and see the nearest drive-thru?
So, MM location is not close enough to Cabin John?
4:13 - And changing the name of the METRO Subway station was a waste of time. It's an area. The White Flint area. What's wrong with that? By the way, why on earth is the former mall site still sitting there? Talk about VA kicking our butts. That should have long been redeveloped by now. Urban forest.
It validates the area as still being primarily car focused. The Pike should embrace more drive thru restaurants at this point.
Most people visiting Pike & Rose are coming by car also.
Funny how everyone is now whining about not eating in their car, having only drive-thru, it's too far to go in my car, holy crap. I appears most of you whiners are too young to remember Little Tavern. Not a single location had seating, their motto was grab 'em by the bag and go. Babies! SMDH
2:28 - I remember LT very well. It was great. But one small correction to what you said. Little Tavern did have a counter and stools similar to Tastee Diner. But yes no tables.
JAQ @ 11:29 AM:
The name of the station was originally “Nicholson Lane” but was changed to “White Flint” on its first day of operation in December 1984.
The only legacy of the name is White Flint Plaza, and that will be renamed or redeveloped.
Insight on this concept;
https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/operations/mcdonalds-opens-new-go-restaurant
As I see it, he's not hoping the business model fails because it "doesn't meet his expectations"
but rather becaus, if it succeeds, eat-in McDonald's of the type that he (and I) favor would swiftly vanish.
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