
Thomson Reuters
In Hong Kong, you can now visit a McDonald's that is nearly unrecognizable from a traditional location of the burger chain, serving offerings like quinoa, asparagus, and crayfish.

To celebrate McDonald's 40th anniversary in Hong Kong, the burger franchise opened a hyper-modern location called McDonald's Next, reports BrandChannel.

The new location, located in shopping hub Admiralty, takes the chain's Create Your Taste platform to another level of customization. While Create Your Taste allows customers to customize burgers and chicken sandwiches with touchscreen kiosks, McDonald's Next additionally has a customizable salad option, with ingredients such as couscous, quinoa, asparagus, and crayfish.



McDonald Next's design is clearly impacted by the growth of modern, fast-casual chains. The restaurant is spacious, brightly lit with trendy lights, and covered in metallic surfaces. Customers order at what the company calls a "theater kitchen," a glass counter that showcases ingredients.

The Hong Kong restaurant attempts to cater to the ever-connected customer with free WiFi and a number of charging cords for smartphones. Customers are encouraged to post their "creations" on social media with the #createyourtastehk hashtag.

While McDonald's Next is clearly conceptually related to the brand's Create Your Taste platform, it additionally draws from other concepts the company is currently testing. The customizable salads specifically evoke McDonald's Australian concept location, The Corner, which has served up salads with healthy options such as quinoa that you won't find at the average McDonald's for more than a year.

Menu items from The Corner

In the last year, McDonald's has begun testing various concepts and menu items far from the company's traditional reputation as an inexpensive, basic burger-and-fries joint.

McDonald's Canada is opening a McCafe concept shop serving items such as a quinoa edamame mandarin salad, a kale and Brussels sprouts salad, and an apple and brie croissant with honey. Even at traditional McDonald's locations, the company is testing offerings such as sweet potato fries in Texas and table service in Southern California.