McDonald's — Restaurant in Paris

It may sound unbelievable considering how much fine food there is in Paris, but the world's most popular McDonald's is perched on the Champs-Elysees. The outpost, which serves an estimated 5,000 people per day and brings in €13.5 million in sales every year, has reopened (following a closure in late 2014) with a brand new look courtesy of French industrial designer Patrick Norguet, who is known for his collaborations with fashion brands like Dior, Vuitton, and Lanvin as well as for the "rainbow chair," which is currently part of the collection at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The end result is a bright, colorful space with absolutely no golden arches in sight. This may be a fast food restaurant, but it's still Paris, after all. One of the additions was a 25-meter (82-foot) picture window that features 180-degree panoramic views of the Champs-Elysees. There's also seating for up to 390 people inside, with space for another 80 outside if weather permits. The furniture was all custom-designed for the space.

The floor-to-ceiling windows make it easy to people-watch.

As for Norguet, the opportunity to transform a McDonald's ("McDo," as the French call it) was a chance to share his aesthetic with a whole new audience. The company initially approached Norguet in 2011 about redesigning one of its restaurants, and he agreed to take on the project of reimagining its most profitable location. "The restaurant's configuration is based on contrast between light and materials," he wrote on his website. "Simple and appropriate materials such as concrete, sheet metal and metallic netting contrast with a spectacular accumulation of light boxes, a permanent installation that gives structure to the volumes." He added that the space is "a truly novel place where the person can take his place back in this space that is more pared down, more functional and more welcoming."

All of the furniture was custom-designed.

What about the actual food? In addition to the usual shakes and fries, this McDonald's has a new ice cream menu exclusive to its location and several higher-end burger options. One person who used to shun McDonald's but now finds himself stopping by occasionally is Norguet himself, who told Slate that he appreciates the way the brand is "a place that welcomes a lot of people from around the world."

Although the Champs-Elysees Mickey D's is beautiful, it does have some other competition: a McDonald's location in Manhattan has a chandelier and an in-house pianist who plays music while customers eat, while a location on Long Island is inside a home made to look like a Southern mansion and one in Rome is filled with pretty...

Well, during our recent visit to Paris we dined at this place, it was on 25th of Dec, there were a lot of people and the staff were really stressed and impatient. We faced multiple issues, we had ordered Large fries, the fries provided were broken (pic) and were poorly cooked. Instead of Cappuccino, we had been given Espresso (pic), ofcourse the exchange was provided without any excuse. And the level of stench that was emanating from the toilet was unbearable. Certainly the worst experience we had with the McD till date and that too on one of the most well known streets. Being a vegetarian, found '0' options for veg burger also. This experience sealed it for me, no more McDs!

Additional text (added on 2nd Jan 23), called to the contact provided of the store, not sure if the person understood what I spoke, got the call cut. The better I can do is to drop an email as there are language constraints....

I recently visited a McDonald's in Paris, and unfortunately, my experience was quite disappointing. Upon arrival, the place was incredibly crowded, and the rush made it hard to even find a place to sit. The atmosphere felt chaotic, with not enough tables to accommodate the customers.

The cleanliness was another issue. The washrooms were particularly unpleasant, with the added problem that the doors lacked locks inside, which felt uncomfortable. The overall cleanliness of the restaurant, including the floors, left much to be desired. It seemed like the staff was overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the demand.

To top it off, the service was slow. It took a long time for our order to be taken, and even longer for the food to arrive. Overall, this McDonald's in Paris didn’t meet the standard I expect, and I would hesitate to...