 |
| McDonald's Clark Gate (Image Source: Punto! Central Luzon) |
Quick service restaurant giant McDonald's Philippines opened its Bike & Dine facilities in its CM Recto and Clark Gate stores in Pampanga in its bid to provide more dining options for Filipinos to safely dine in. Prior to the pandemic, McDonald's has been investing in elevating the customer experience by making dining more accessible, convenient and inclusive for Filipinos. Having a foothold on Drive-Thru, McDelivery and outdoor dining allowed the company to continously serve its customers safely amidst the quarantine restrictions set by local government units.
In a ceremonial opening of McDonald's CM Recto's Bike & Dine area which was attended by Pampanga governor Dennis Pineda and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Sec. Vince Dizon, McDonald's Philippines managing director Margot Torres shared how the new facility is one way of championing customer inclusivity. “We recognize the thousands of Kampampangans, especially frontline workers, who have turned to biking as their means of transportation during this unprecedented time. We saw this as an opportunity to provide them a way to enjoy their favorite McDonald’s meals conveniently, while ensuring that their bikes are safe and secure,” said Torres.
Known as a bike-friendly zone, Clark plans to build more bike-related facilities moving forward and through McDonald's Bike & Dine, this aims to provide cyclists a dining space after they 'Ride Thru'. The McDonald's Ride Thru aims to encourage all different types of vehicles, not just the four-wheeled ones, to order food via the drive thru lane without leaving the vehicle. Apart from that, cyclists can conveniently mound their bikes securely in racks that are attached to a ledge that doubles as a table. Through this, bike-riding customers can enjoy their McDo meals without worrying about the safety of their bicycles. There are two other Bike & Dine facilities across the country - McDonald's Vermosa (Cavite) and McDonald's McKinley West (Taguig) - with more slated to open within the year.
Under the QSR giant's M Safe program, stringent health and safety protocols are also set in place to assure that diners can enjoy their food while ensuring a high standard of safety. Customers who will visit the stores are subjected to contact tracing and temperature checks and are required to wear a face mask and face shield. Social distancing will be followed at all times from queueing for their orders and while dining in. Meanwhile, cashless payment options are also available in stores to minimize physical contact. Torres concluded, “We are excited to scale Bike & Dine to more stores in other cities too. We look forward to introducing this innovation to more bike-riding communities, where more customers can enjoy their favorite McDonald’s meals safely and more conveniently."
