Macca’s has gone gourmet. With the introduction of their #createyourtaste burgers in an ever growing list of stores, you can now order anything from a standard burger to something that takes your fancy.

After seeing the Facebook ad from McDonald’s, I decided to check out the South Melbourne store.

The ordering process

When you step into the store, you see the traditional McCafe and McDonald’s order counters (complete with the very useful order number system Macca’s introduced to quite a number of their stores), as well as a bunch of touch screens. The order process is easy with steps for selecting what cheese, sauce, fillings etc. you want, otherwise you can select one of the gourmet choices that Macca’s has pre-built on the ordering system.

You can order take away or eat in, with a meal or without.

I chose to eat in when I did my order, but didn’t realise I needed to grab a number before hand (the numbers are similar to the vibrating/noisy pads you see in restaurants except these didn’t make any noise. I suspect they might if they are busy). Thankfully they have a number of staff assigned to the #createyourown experience that was able to grab one. Then I paid via the EFTPOS machine at the ordering screen (you can also pay at the counter if this is your preference)

The meal

I chose to order a meal, which by default comes with a medium drink (I selected Coke), and fries. The fries you get are standard Macca’s fries.

The burger itself contained:

• Angus beef patty
• Brioche Bun
• Guacamole
• BBQ sauce
• Jack Cheese
• Bacon
• Egg
• Caramelised Onion
• Pineapple

The drink was served first (feels different having table service in Macca’s) with the meal appear a bit later (I didn’t time but it felt about 5-10 minutes, similar to what I expect some of the gourmet burger places around Melbourne to take).

The burger itself  was amazing. Although the patty itself is similar to the other angus beef patties at Macca’s, the combination of ingredients made it seem like I wasn’t eating a McDonald’s burger anymore. The ingredients seemed fresh, the bacon cooked right and the only thing I forgot about being in the burger (maybe because it blended well with the other ingredients) was the guacamole under near the end.

The only drawback is the BBQ sauce is a bit runny. Otherwise, I’m quite pleased with it (especially as it passes the falling apart test where a good burger falls apart).

Price

The burger starts around $8 before you add ingredients. As you add them, it brings the price up.

In total the meal was $15.55.

The store

I must admit, there were a few times I was thinking ‘Am I in Macca’s anymore?’ as although it takes the majority of the visual design elements of other stores, the ordering screens and the animated menus made it feel a bit more like a cafe.

As usual there is the free WiFi which now also has news and sport accessible as part of the service. The store also plays music videos and ads for Macca’s over the PA/TVs (did get a bit annoying hearing the WiFi ad though).

Verdict

I think this is one innovation I really want to see to keep expanding to other Macca’s. I don’t see it replacing other gourmet burger places (e.g. Mr Burger) but complimenting them and adding another choice for what to eat.

I’m going to have to go back again as I would love to try the swiss cheese option in my burger.

Find out more at http://mcdonalds.com.au/create-your-taste