A McDonald's franchise owner in Virginia Beach, Vancouver is offering customers free use of iPads while they eat, something you won't find at other McDonald's stores around the country.
According to the Virginia Pilot, the Apple tablets stand perch on white stands at four tables, one of which holds two screens back-to-back. McDonald's customers can check their emails, Facebook pages, play a game or shop online while they eat their McDonald's meals.
"It's a great idea to stay relevant, especially to a new generation," said Hugh Fard, who opened the Lynnhaven Parkway restaurant about a week ago and owns 11 other McDonald's in Virginia Beach. "People like to multitask, so why not provide that element for them?"
One website McDonald's customers will not be able to visit however, is YouTube. Fard says that the popular video sharing website has pornographic material and he doesn't want customers to be viewing that at his store.
Fard made a deal with a French company who had installed iPads in a number of McDonald's restaurants throughout Europe, to help implement the device in his own store.
As part of the agreement with the French company, Ford now leases five of the iPads from a local contractor who updates the devices and will replace any stolen units. Customers who order food from the Virginia Beach outlet and eat it in the dining section can use the iPads free of charge.
McDonald's has no plans at this time to roll out the iPads to other locations or offer the option to other franchisees, said Jon Burke, the chain's regional marketing manager. For six to eight months, the company will watch how Fard's system works.
"We're looking at testing it through him, to see what the response is," Burke said.
