McDonald's Gets Snazzy French Makeover, Debuts Pastries, Cookies in Chelsea

One croissant and a McDouble, s'il vous plaît.

A new French-inspired McDonald's debuted near at 809 Sixth Ave. in Chelsea Friday. Parisian pastries like croissants and chocolatines will be served alonside its signature burgers and chicken nuggets, the Daily News reports.

The Golden Arches called in French designer Patrick Norguet to overhaul the restaurant's interior. Norguet designed the popular modernized McDonald's on the Champs-Élysées in Paris and is well-known for his collaborations with designer fashion brand including Lanvin and Louis Vuitton.

"We saw a great design and great feedback from the McDonald's in Champs-Élysées, so that's why we decided to go with that design but make it more New York, and we love it," said franchisee Peter Joseph Fonseca. "It's very relaxing for people and we are attracting people that never gave us a chance."

Parisian-Themed McDonald's Opens in Chelsea

The new restaurant, dubbed McCafé, is the first of its kind in the states and features a restaurant host that greets customers at the entance, open counter ordering area, high top red chairs and communal seating.

Patrons can also order from built-in wall kiosks. Despite the kiosk system, the Chelsea eatery doubled its employee size.

Among the new items customers can try are the new-and-improved apple pie with a lattice crust, a blueberry muffin topper, cinnamon coffee cake and a McCafé espresso. All pastries are $1.29 and under, a fraction of the cost of Starbuck's pastries, which can cost as much as $2.95.

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McDonald's isn't the first fast food eatery to experiment with upscale dining concepts. Chick-Fil-A had "waiters" taking orders on iPads at its first three-story location in Midtown in 2015, and Starbucks tried pushing meatballs and Malbec in Brooklyn as part of its "Starbucks Evening" menu.

If you don't live in Chelsea, your neighborhood could soon get its own McCafé — a company spokesperson told the newspaper there will be several more McCafé concepts opening in New York City in the "near future".

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