McDonald's Australia reveals how America is doing it all wrong

Hayley Peterson

6 May 2015 at 12:23 pm

(McDonald's Australia) McDonald's is thriving in Australia.

McDonald's is failing in the US, but in Australia the brand is thriving.

The fast-food chain has reported three straight quarters of same-store sales growth in Australia, where the burger company is fondly known as "Macca's." Domestically, McDonald's is struggling to recover from its sixth straight quarter of same-store sales declines.

So what's so different about McDonald's in Australia?

Basically everything — including the ingredients, the restaurant models, the service, the menu, and the public image, according to Bloomberg.

In Australia, many of the restaurants are unrecognizable compared with those in the US. They have bars of fresh food where you can watch your order being prepared.

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The menu includes two types of buns, four kinds of cheese, and 19 specialty toppings, such as grilled pineapple, guacamole, and beetroot.

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This McDonald's is serving samples of smashed avocado on sourdough for breakfast.

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Customers order and pay for their food using a touch-screen kiosk that looks like this:

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And the burgers, which are served on wooden pallets, look like this:

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Here are some of the toppings customers can add to their burgers:

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When a customer's order is ready, it is delivered to the customer's table by a server.

(McDonald's Australia)

And dessert includes customizable Belgian waffles.

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There are also display cases full of muffins, macaroons and cupcakes.

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Breakfast looks like this, with coffee made from real espresso machines:

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The digital kiosks, table service, and special burgers are part of a program called "Create Your Taste," which is being rolled out nationally in Australia. McDonald's just launched tests of the program in the US.

McDonald's is also testing a new concept called The Corner in Australia.

It's an upscale restaurant in which you can order salad, soup, sandwiches, and rice bowls.

Here's what it looks like on the outside:

(Facebook/The Corner by McCafe)

It looks nothing like a McDonald's restaurant on the inside.

(Paul Colgan/Business Insider Australia)

McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook revealed on Monday a massive turnaround strategy for the company, following years of lagging sales and traffic.

While explaining the mistakes that McDonald's has made in the US, Easterbrook called Australia an international lead market.

"Australia is in the early stages of turning around its business through a multifaceted approach to enhance brand appeal for consumers," Easterbrook said during a recent call with analysts.

"This includes meaningful enhancements to our menu, including both core and new menu items across several categories, value platforms, and better restaurant operations."

He said the company was working to implement some of those enhancements in US restaurants as well.

It remains to be seen whether the strategy will work with Americans.

NOW WATCH: I just ate at a McDonald’s in Spain, and it was so much better than in America

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