McDonald's to roll out customized burger menu concept

Customers across the US will soon be able to choose the type of bun, cheese and sauce on their McDonald’s burgers at tablet-enabled kiosks in a new menu concept aimed at boosting flagging sales and winning new -- and lost -- clientele.

After quietly testing out the ‘Create Your Taste’ menu at a handful of units in Southern California, McDonald’s will be immediately expanding the concept to 30 locations in Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri and Pennsylvania, reports USA Today.

And next year, the menu innovation will roll out to about 2,000 US restaurants across the country -- equal to about one in seven units in the US.

Instead of placing orders at the counter, the Create Your Taste platform allows customers to place their order at digital kiosks and customize their sandwiches with their desired toppings, including sauces, cheese, bun, vegetables and protein -- chicken or beef.

Self-order kiosks already exist at restaurants across France, allowing customers to bypass the counter and pick up their order directly.

The new concept is being rolled out amid flagging sales and stiff competition from rivals such as Chipotle, Subway, Starbucks and mid-sized burger brands -- Shake Shack, Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger -- which have succeeded in attracting the most coveted consumer market: Millennials.

In their latest November financial statement, the company posted a 2.2 percent drop in global sales compared to the same period last year. In the US, sales were down 4.6 percent; in Europe, sales dropped 2 percent, and in Asia, Middle East and Africa, sales declined 4 percent.

And while the burger giant is hoping that the new customized menu options will help win back lost customers and attract new ones, customers will have to expect longer wait times for their orders, and more significantly, higher price points -- up to $8 for a burger, drink and fries.