McDonald’s promises to bring back colorful PlayPlaces to try to convince frustrated parents

McDonald’s says it’s no longer playing games with children’s gear and customer service.

The fast-food chain this week unveiled $8.5 billion in planned spending over the next 10 years, which includes renovated restaurants with “enhanced play areas, upgraded dining areas and more open kitchens,” according to Jill McDonald, executive vice president.

It’s a welcome change for fans who have been begging McDonald’s to bring back the colorful, kid-friendly indoor playgrounds, which were closed in March 2020 during the pandemic for public health reasons.

Online customers have noticed that what was supposed to be a temporary closure has become permanent for many McDonald’s locations, while restaurants have gradually lost their fanciness over time thanks to lifeless, minimalist redesigns.

A future McDonald’s restaurant model shows that the revamped locations will feature bright and colorful PlayPlaces featuring jungle gyms, slides and interactive play areas, including a “McMini Crew” activity board that will allow children to pretend to be behind the counter.

However, it is unclear whether the initiative will only remodel existing PlayPlaces or whether it will also add PlayPlaces to joints that currently do not have them. McDonald’s was not immediately able to say how many seats the PlayPlaces will have.

PlayPlaces were once a staple of the Golden Arches, with the first prototype built at a McDonald’s in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1971 – and parents across the country say they’ve been sorely missed.

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“The parents. That was the whole deal,” the message read. “Parents on a Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. with three kids in the backseat and nothing thawed at home. You didn’t go for the burger. You went there because your kids could run screaming through a plastic tube for 40 minutes while you sat with coffee and experienced the silence. That was the product. Food was the cover price.”

The user claimed that two Cheeseburger Happy Meals and two Quarter Pounder Cheeseburger Meals with medium drinks and fries would cost $34.96 at their local McDonald’s – almost exactly the same price as a similar meal from Chili’s.

At Chili’s, “I don’t get a toy, but I do get crayons and something the kids can color. I also get free chips and salsa, a free drink, and refills of fries. Plus, I get table service and human interaction. Hmmm…what would I do for dinner with two young kids and my husband?” she wrote.

Other social media users were quick to agree, saying kids were begging to go to McDonald’s for dinner because they wanted to play in the ball pit and use the slide — not necessarily because they were loyal to the food.

“Today, McDonald’s look like hospital waiting rooms or… prisons. Where are the colorful characters? Where is the color? Where is the joy?” » complained one user. “McDonalds couldn’t be more sterile and cold if they tried! No kid I know wants to go there but they love Chick-Fil-A!”

Another user commented that McDonald’s needed to add more healthy ingredients to menus instead of “chemical soup,” while yet another criticized the use of touchscreen kiosks at McDonald’s locations, saying they simply led to longer wait times and poor customer service.

The $8.5 billion investment is expected to be spent through 2036, with about $5 billion through 2030, through a combination of rent relief and capital support. The funding will be used for restaurant renovations, technology upgrades and operational improvements.

McDonald’s expects restaurant expansion to contribute about 2.5% to systemwide sales growth in 2027 and about 2% by 2030.

A McDonald’s representative referred The Post to comments made by Tiffanie Boyd, McDonald’s chief human resources officer, at investor day, where she announced the “Make it Golden” strategy.

“This will provide our 2 million people with the training, tools and support to deliver the great food and great hospitality that is unique to McDonald’s,” she said.

The fast food giant appears to be moving away from technology after years of directing customers to soulless screens rather than human employees for basic tasks such as placing orders.

Frustrated customers have argued online that the company’s past technology investments were a bad decision, with several using Chick-fil-A as an example. The rival chain has succeeded with a business model based on human interaction and colorful indoor play areas with games.

One fast food enthusiast compared the spending plan to Cracker Barrel’s failed rebranding, writing, “This is the same problem that started the Cracker Barrel controversy. Ignorant C-suiters convinced by an overpriced educational experience that they know more about what WE, THE CONSUMERS, want than we do.”

McDonald’s shares fell nearly 5% on Wednesday as CEO Chris Kempczinski unveiled the company’s restructuring initiative. The stock is down more than 20% since the start of the year.

Burger King – which launched a turnaround based on improved menu items and better customer service – is up 5.6% over the same period.