Feng shui, McDonald's style
HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif. (AP) - February 25, 2008 Gone are the plastic furniture, Ronald McDonald and the red and
yellow palette that has defined the world's largest hamburger
chain. Leather seats, earth tones, bamboo plants and water
trickling down glass panels have taken their place.
The makeover elements are meant to help diners achieve happiness
and fortune - whether they realize it or not.
That's because the restaurant was redesigned using the
principles of feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging
objects and numbers to promote health, harmony and prosperity.
The concept is an unlikely fit with fast food. But the
restaurant's owners say the designs are aimed at creating a
soothing setting that will encourage diners to linger over their
burgers and fries, and come back again.
The makeover is part of the attempt by McDonald's Corp. in
recent years to remodel hundreds of its restaurants to attract more
patrons with unique decor and amenities that might entice them stay
awhile.
It also fits into McDonald's larger corporate practice of
catering to local tastes, such as a fondue-style burger in France
or a pita-wrapped "McArabia" sandwich in the Middle East.
"We can't look too cookie cutter," Mark Brownstein, one of
three owners of the restaurant, said about the new decor.
The basic principles of feng shui include placing strategic
representations of five natural elements - earth, water, fire,
metal and wood - around the room to increase the flow of chi, or
energy.
Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) has been employed in the
designs of high-rises, banks, even zoo exhibits, and has been
popularized by countless coffee table books and TV shows such as
HGTV's "Fun Shui." It's also used in the designs of the Panda
Express Chinese food chain.
The McDonald's in this Los Angeles suburb boasts wood ceiling,
silver-coated chairs, plus red accents throughout the dining area
to symbolize fire and "good luck, laughter and prosperity," said
Brenda Clifford, who designed the dining area.
The textured walls patterned after ocean waves symbolize "life
and relaxation - the balanced things that you want in your life,"
she said.
Customers are responding positively, whether or not they
recognize the feng shui elements.
"When we first walked in we were amazed, we were happy we
skipped the drive-through and went inside," Andrew Chen said while
lounging in a white leather booth with a friend.
Chen, 20, said he didn't notice the feng shui elements. He just
thought it was a modern interior.
Two workers at the nearby post office said they've been taking
more lunch breaks at the remodeled McDonald's, which opened in late
December.
"We're here two, three times a week," Waldo Alfaro said as he
munched on a Filet-O-Fish and a salad. "It's relaxing, you don't
feel any pressure here."
Nevermind that this is the same McDonald's that's been vilified
by critics over its artery-clogging Big Macs and fries.
The buzz about the feng shui McDonald's is starting to attract
curious onlookers.
"It's successful as a design. It's got a very clean, open, airy
appearance," said Elaine Bjorklund, a professor emerita of
cultural geography at the University of Western Ontario in Canada,
who was in town visiting a friend.
"I'm not a McDonald's habituee," she added as she snapped
pictures of the dining area. "It would be interesting to see if
this trend will spread."
Brownstein said he and his partners chose the feng shui makeover
because the restaurant is located near a renowned Buddhist temple,
which is considered good luck. The designs were meant to appeal to
the area's growing Asian population, but were also done in a way
that would help all customers tap their inner Zen.
With the help of a feng shui master, the designers added details
that only feng shui practitioners could appreciate. They include
positioning the doors in a way that would block out bad spirits
while keeping good ones inside, Clifford said.
The eight rows of red tiles near the food counter are another
symbol of fortune, because the number eight is considered
auspicious, she said. Meanwhile, the metal sculptures of a crane
and Koi fish adorning one wall represent fertility and prosperity,
she said.
Clifford said she made the nearly fatal mistake of putting 44
seats in the dining area, until she learned that feng shui
followers consider the number four a symbol of bad luck. So she
added an extra seat to make it 45.
"Few people would notice it, but if you're in the know, you'll
say 'Oh my God, that's terrible,"' she said.
She went as far as staggering the grout lines in the tiles
rather than keeping them straight.
"You want to have obstacles in life, it makes you grow," she
explained.
While the menu remains the same, there is a McCafe offering
lattes and gourmet coffee drinks.
When McDonald's restaurants in Europe upgraded their decor
several years ago by adding hardwood floors, armchairs, TVs and
other enhancements, sales went up, Brownstein said.
He said business has picked up at his restaurant too.
Other franchise owners are taking notice. Clifford said her
company has been hired to feng shui two more McDonald's in Southern
California.