Nexus 24 2015

NEXUS MAGAZINE Reviews
FOOD REVIEW – AROTAKENGA KAI
MCDONALD’S FRANKTON: CREATE YOUR TASTE
Caitlin Orton
Apparently, investing $250,000 into upgrading a restaurant
doesn’t mean that they won’t forget to add your guacamole. At
the end of the day it’s only a scoop of mushed up avocado and
tomato, so why does it bother be so much?
Despite the obvious advertising all over the building, six out
of the seven brand new digital kiosks were free. Now I like to
think that I am a fairly technologically savvy person, but this
seemingly simple system baffled me. Browsing through the
menu options was a mission and a half. There is no way to scroll
without accidentally tapping on half of the ingredients - I ended
up missing out on gherkins because of this. A click and drag
option would have been a lot easier to manoeuvre.
Mark Rush, the owner of the Frankton McDonald’s claims that,
“Not only will customers be able to order at digital kiosks and
have their food delivered to their table, but they can create their
ultimate burger exactly how they want it. In fact, there are over
25 million combinations you can choose from.” Well, Mr. Rush,
it took me a good five minutes to figure out that there was no
chicken option, so by my standards this was not my, “ultimate
burger, exactly how [I] want it.”
The process begins with a $10.90 fee, which takes up three
quarters of my budget and leaves me with $3.10 to choose
cheese, salad, sauces and extras. Thank the lord for free basic
vegetables, that’s all I have to say. Bacon is the most expensive
extra at $1.50 per serving, with the rest of the options such as
mushrooms, grilled onions, and guacamole all costing 80c each.
This is not a budget friendly machine as it doesn’t keep a running
tally of how much your burger is costing. You either have to pull
out your phone and calculate as you go, like I did, or wait until
the end and let your total cost surprise you. I’m not sure if it’s
justifiable to be angry about losing 80c worth of non-existent
guacamole. But I’m definitely annoyed.
I have to admit that the presentation was pretty spot on.
The burgers look and taste just like the picture perfect
advertisements and they’re delivered straight to your table -
fast food with a hint of gourmet flare. Even the waiters have
donned a brand new uniform, and they delivered the burger on
a wooden chopping board.
I was generally impressed with how fresh the ingredients were.
Goodbye soggy cheeseburgers hello fresh and crispy buns.
It was fun to do, I’m glad I tried it once. Honestly though,
considering how expensive it is, you may as well just go to
BurgerFuel.
10 N.24 / V.47 SUMMER