Elated: McDonald’s operation supervisor Cameron Hay, general manager Helen Fitzgibbon, assistant manager Zach Bell-Keddie and licensee Scott Moller look over plans inside the new Moama McDonald’s.
Photo by
Adair Winder
Stepping in to the new Moama McDonald’s is like taking a step into the future.
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The colour palette is striking with stylish wood finishings and the tying in of iconic golden features is subtle yet modern.
What is really impressive about this store is the thought that has gone into it.
With dual drive-thru lanes, six self-serve kiosks and one person-operated till, the restaurant has clearly been built with convenience in mind.
But it’s the behind the scenes that really makes this fast food restaurant stand out.
It’s in the kitchen where all the magic really happens.
In the older McDonald’s restaurants you would often find kitchen staff assembling food on two opposing sides, and the person at the front counter would have to check the screens to see which side is preparing the food before handing it over to the customer.
Now the assembly area has been designed in the shape of a spoke with a singular conveyor belt running down the centre.
This means that once everything is wrapped and packaged, it will be placed on to the conveyor belt, which will then transport the food to a central heated landing zone for staff to grab and hand over to customers.
General manager Helen Fitzgibbon said a lot of thought had gone into making the restaurant more practical and efficient.
“The store is very ergonomic,” Ms Fitzgibbon said.
“There are shorter distances for people to travel around the kitchen and less opportunities for crossover on the floor, meaning less people walking through other stations and around other people.
“This store has been designed to be ergonomic for operations so that we facilitate faster service for customers while serving up the freshest and hottest food.”
Licensee Scott Moller said everything had been positioned in a logical and practical location.
“There is now a designated beverage sell area where all the drinks, including hot drinks, frozen drinks and frappes, will be made,” he said.
“There is now a dedicated breakfast area so we don’t have to spend time changing over the kitchen between breakfast and lunch.
“Even the ice machine — the ice machine in Echuca is located past the kitchen, meaning that staff had to walk through the kitchen and in between other staff to get to it. Now it’s all located in the one area.”
Taking shape: It won’t be long until customers will be able to walk through the doors of the new Moama McDonald’s.
Photo by
Adair Winder
The freezer and chiller rooms have been positioned at the back of the restaurant with large doors, enabling trucks to drop pallets straight into the stock rooms, saving on delivery time and reducing manual handling.
Charging stations will be located throughout the dining area, which has capacity for more than 80 diners.
The kids area features five levels of climbing equipment and is all indoors, giving kids the opportunity to play all-year round, no matter the weather.
The play area has floor to ceiling windows, providing guardians with high visibility while enjoying their meals.
Lack of parking should never be an issue, with 22 individual car parks including a disabled park plus six overflow parking spots and the Moama Woolworths car park located across the road.
The restaurant is also more environmentally conscious with 34 kilowatts of solar energy powering the restaurant.
Arguably one of the most exciting features of the eatery is a small room off to the side of the building, which has an entrance specifically for delivery drivers.
Ms Fitzgibbon said the delivery room was about ‘future proofing’ and preparing for the introduction of services such as Uber Eats or Menulog in Moama.
Not only has the restaurant been thoughtfully designed but it has brand new state-of-the-art equipment such as an automatic milk frother, automatic jug rinser, automatic beverage system that will produce drinks as soon as somebody orders one and new menu boards.
Spacious: The dining hall will seat more than 80 customers.
Photo by
Adair Winder
Mr Moller said they made it a priority to try and use as many local tradespeople as possible throughout the construction process.
Sound and Light Solutions was hired to fit out the store with lighting, stereos and CCTV and T4 Greenspace Landscapes has been contracted with all the landscaping and gardening maintenance, just as it is for Echuca McDonald’s.
McDonald’s is still yet to announce a grand opening date for the Moama restaurant.
As for staffing, six managers and 30 crew members have been hired for the new chain restaurant, but managers say they still require another 30 part-time and full-time employees.
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