US burger giant McDonald’s has opened a mega-restaurant in Columbus, Ohio in a bid to ramp up its family-friendly image.


The format boasts a dessert stand with coffee imported from Italy, and a living room area targeting adults. It also offers a karaoke booth for teenagers and a miniature drive-thru McDonald’s for younger children, in bid to offer ‘something for everyone’. A merchandise area offers consumers the chance to buy McDonald’s gifts and clothing.
 
Three times the size of the average McDonald’s restaurant, the 11,500 sq ft establishment is the group’s second-largest US restaurant after the outlet in Vinita, Oklahoma. If the new format is successful, the group may expand it to other locations.


Analysts, however, say the new format adds little to the fastfood chain’s US growth prospects. US sales inched up just 2% to US$4.7bn in the first quarter, with sales at stores open for longer than twelve months flat.