McDonald's launching table service, build your own burger

McDonald's is launching table service. Photo / supplied.

Fast food chain McDonald's is making a radical change to its counter and drive through services, trialling table service and customisable gourmet burgers.

From this week, McDonald's Balmoral will be trialling the new "create your taste" system, which allows customers to create their own burger from 20 ingredients on the menu, including jalapenos, guacamole and grilled mushrooms or choose from three suggested gourmet burgers - classic cheeseburger, homestyle or chipotle.

Do you want to build your own McDonald's burgers and have them delivered to the table? Tell us what you think here

Customers can use a digital kiosk to build their burgers, choosing everything from the bun, cheese, sauces, salad toppings and premium toppings such as bacon, egg, grilled pineapple and guacamole, as well as a bunless burger option, before having their meals delivered to the table.

McDonald's New Zealand managing director Patrick Wilson said the changes represented the future of McDonald's and its aim to meet the changing needs and demands of the market.

"The Balmoral restaurant will be a real insight into the future of McDonald's," Wilson said.

"How the restaurant looks, how you order your food, how staff interact with customers, what you can order, and how it is made and presented - the whole customer experience takes a quantum shift at Balmoral."

The base cost of the burgers will start from $10.90 but the final cost would depend on what ingredients were chosen.

New Zealand is the third country to adopt the new create your taste option with the company saying it was using social media and its "my macca's review" app to decide what direction the it would take, as well as making the decision to bring out new innovations like create your taste.

Wilson said it was also a move to ensure all of McDonald's customers were able to eat what they wanted and how they wanted, whether it be in the traditional drive through, fast and convenient route or dining in and customising their meal.

"Just like we did launching McCafe fifteen years ago, and then offering barista made coffee at drive through last year, McDonald's is innovating again in line with the changing needs and expectations of our customers," Wilson said.

"We've carried out considerable consumer research during the last year, and the initiatives we're rolling out match what our customers have asked us to do."

The company are looking to roll out the customisable menu and table service to selected branches of its 164 nationwide stores in the next twelve months.

McDonald's Restaurants (New Zealand) recorded $216 million of revenue during the year to December 2013. This figure excludes sales from franchised stores.

Its net profit for the 2013 year was was $30 million, slightly down from the same period in 2012.

The company's 2014 accounts have yet to be filed with the Companies Office.