McDonald's customers in the United Kingdom will soon be able to enjoy their favorite burger meal while catching up with social media or playing online games using a tablet.
The company is installing Samsung Galaxy tablets in key restaurant locations in the United Kingdom in a move to fulfill its ambition of providing customers with the "Experience of the Future."
"The tablets form an important part of our new customer experience initiative, which is part of our overall 'Experience of the Future' programme," said Doug Baker, Head of IT Restaurant Solutions and Service at McDonald's UK, in a press release statement at PR Newswire. "We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and trying to provide new and innovative experiences."
The Galaxy tablets will come equipped with a customized software by SOTI, a leading Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) expert. While the devices will not be used for the purpose of ordering a meal, they will come pre-installed with social media, games and other popular applications for web-based browsing.
In 2015, McDonald's conducted a trial launch of the Galaxy tablets initiative at some of its restaurants and franchise locations. The resulting success of the trial period prompted the company to formally launch the project after partnering with Samsung and SOTI.
"This initiative highlights the increasing trend toward retailers like McDonald's utilizing modern technologies to provide differentiated, personalized customer experiences," said Nassar Hussain, Managing Director Europe and South Africa at SOTI, in a statement at PR Newswire.
This is not the first time that McDonald's has embraced and experimented with technology. Earlier this year, customers in Sweden who purchased the company's Happy Meal boxes also had a hands-on experience with virtual reality by converting the boxes into cardboard VR headsets that are inspired by Google's DIY design.
Meanwhile, it also introduced the wireless charging pads of Samsung to customers who visited its restaurants across Europe.
Lastly, McDonald's is one of the supporters of Apple's mobile payment system since the technology was launched in October 2014.
There's no information yet on the exact Galaxy tablet models that McDonald's is installing in its restaurants. Since the devices will be in a location where food, drinks and technology will hopefully mix, it may be safe to assume that the tablets could be designed with some anti-spill mechanism or a grease and ketchup-friendly display.
