By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Megaworld Senior Assistant Vice President for Public Relations and Media Affairs Harold Brian Geronimo and Eugene Reducindo, managing director of Choice Gourmet Banquet Inc., on Tuesday gave the media a bird’s eye view of what they claimed would be the Philippines’ “most beautiful McDonald’s” that will be constructed inside the 34-hectare township The Upper East.
In a press conference after the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday morning, Geronimo said the construction is eyed to be completed in October this year in time for the MassKara Festival.
Ruducindo said the store will also offer job opportunities for the locals as the store will need more than 100 employees and managers.
“The new McDonald’s store will be surrounded by a landscaped, curated garden that will also serve as an open alfresco dining area, which will be the largest for McDonald’s in the whole of Visayas,” Geronimo said.
In a press release, Megaworld further said that the 2,200-square meter landscaped garden will be built with a laidback, modern radial design while incorporating classic furniture reminiscent of the Spanish era, with the historic, century-old BMMC (Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company) train as an iconic centerpiece.
An extension of the original train will be built to house McDonald’s Dessert Center, which will serve sundaes and drinks. Native tropical plants and flowering trees such as narra, banaba, pitogo, and batino will add the color and feel akin to this Filipino-themed garden.
Two-meter-high, tulip-shaped lighted flowers made of fiber glass that look especially beautiful when lit up at night will dot the area to add color and bring a festive feel.
“This is the largest al fresco dining area for McDonald’s in the whole of Visayas, and with this curated garden elements, it is by far envisioned to be the most beautiful in the country when completed,” according to Reducindo, managing director of Choice Gourmet Banquet, Inc., the company that franchises and operates Megaworld-owned McDonald’s stores.
Aside from the curated garden, this new McDonald’s store that will soon rise at The Upper East will have the following unique highlights and features:
Contemporary design centering on light and space
McDonald’s The Upper East will greet its guests with a unique enveloped screen piazza exterior façade. It will be highlighted by a large Masskara Wall featuring a giant mask masterpiece of Jojo Vito, Bacolod’s most renowned mask maker.
Upon entering the store, one’s attention will immediately be taken by an eye-catching yellow grand staircase leading to the second floor, in which more seats can be found.
With its glass walls and a high ceiling characteristic of the Ray Palette, McDonald’s latest global standard design scheme that puts emphasis on space and lighting, the store welcomes plenty of natural light during the day and gives off a relaxing vibe. At night, the interior lights up, thanks to well-placed lighting fixtures.
First in VisMin
This McDonald’s store will also feature its own Collab Room, McDonald’s own version of a conference room equipped with essential facilities needed for meetings. This private meeting room at the second level can accommodate up to 10 persons—a first-of-its-kind for McDonald’s in the entire Visayas and Mindanao.
A facility made especially for cyclists
McDonald’s The Upper East will also feature an expansive Bike and Dine Area. Here, cyclists riding to or from their destinations can enjoy their favorite McDonald’s meal without leaving their bicycles.
There will also be a Bike Repair and Air Pumping Station, as well as an E-Charging Station for e-bikes and scooters to help riders ensure their bicycles or scooters are in top condition before they go.
Topnotch amenities providing a complete dining experience
McDonald’s Upper East will feature the modern NXTGEN facility, namely the Self-Ordering Kiosks (SOK), where customers can order and pay for their food through cash, or credit and debit cards, and claim their order at one of the counters.
Meanwhile, there will also be a McCafé with a separate entrance door on the first floor. Here, guests can polish off their McDonald’s meals with their pick of caffeinated or decaffeinated beverage and pastries.
To those who wish to work or simply charge their tablets, smartphones, or laptops, McDonald’s The Upper East will have wireless charging facilities installed at the communal tables and power outlets at the McCafé and the alfresco dining areas.
Other facilities within the store include a Party Area for birthday parties and other celebrations, and a Lactation Room for breastfeeding moms.
McDonald’s The Upper East will have a seating capacity of 256 across the store.
First-of-a-kind Drive-Thru Experience
A first in Negros, McDonald’s The Upper East will feature a Side-by-Side (Double Lane) Drive-Thru facility that also includes Customer Order Displays. Crew members will be using a Handheld Order-Taking (HHOT) device to take orders from customers right from their vehicles to make the experience even more of a breeze, particularly when there’s a long line.
“Our target is to open this new McDonald’s store just in time for Masskara Festival in October. We are investing a lot for this store because we believe that Bacolod only deserves the best. This is the reason why we are bringing a lot of firsts in every McDonald’s store that we build here,” adds Reducindo.
McDonald’s The Upper East will be Megaworld’s second McDonald’s store in the province. Last December, the company also opened the McDonald’s Forbes Hill, the first full-scale NXTGEN store with its own McCafe in Negros inside its 53-hectare Northill Gateway township, which also features the largest Bike and Dine facility in the country.
