Megaworld is set to build what is poised to become “the Philippines’ Most Beautiful McDonald’s” inside its 34-hectare township, The Upper East, in Bacolod City, Harold Brian Geronimo, the firm’s senior assistant vice president, announced Tuesday, May 31.
The second Megaworld McDonald’s store in Bacolod is expected to open in time for this year’s MassKara Festival in October, he said.
Megaworld broke ground for the new McDonald’s Store, which will hire more than 100 employees, on Tuesday and its construction is expected to be finished in 100 days, he added.
Those who wish to work at the new store may submit their applications at McDonald’s Forbes Hill, he said.
It will be the most expensive McDonald’s store in Negros, its cost will be nine digits, because Bacolod deserves something big and beautiful, Geronimo said.
The new McDonald’s store will be surrounded by a landscaped, curated garden that will also serve as an open alfresco dining area, making it the largest for McDonald’s in the whole of Visayas, said Eugene Reducindo, managing director of Choice Gourmet Banquet Inc., the company that franchises and operates Megaworld-owned McDonald’s stores.
The 2,200-square meter landscaped garden will be built with a laidback, modern radial design while incorporating classic furniture reminiscent of the Spanish era, with the historic, century-old Bacolod-Murcia Milling Co. train as an iconic centerpiece.
An extension of the original train will be built to house McDonald’s Dessert Center, which will serve sundaes and drinks, he said.
Native tropical plants and flowering trees such as narra, banaba, pitogo, and batino will add the color and feel akin to this Filipino-themed garden, Reducindo said.
Two-meter-high, tulip-shaped lighted flowers made of fiber glass that look especially beautiful when lit up at night will dot the area to add color and bring a festive feel.
“This is the largest al fresco dining area for McDonald’s in the whole of Visayas, and with this curated garden elements, it is by far envisioned to be the most beautiful in the country when completed,” he said.
The McDonald’s The Upper East will greet its guests with a unique enveloped screen piazza exterior façade. It will be highlighted by a large Masskara Wall featuring a giant mask masterpiece of Jojo Vito, Bacolod’s renowned mask maker, Geronimo said.
With its glass walls and a high ceiling characteristic of the Ray Palette, McDonald’s latest, global standard design scheme that puts emphasis on space and lighting, the store welcomes plenty of natural light during the day and gives off a relaxing vibe, he added.
This McDonald’s store will also feature its own Collab Room, McDonald’s own version of a conference room equipped with essential facilities needed for meetings.
This private meeting room at the second level can accommodate up to 10 persons – a first-of-its-kind for McDonald’s in the entire Visayas and Mindanao, Geronimo said.
It will also feature an expansive Bike and Dine Area, where cyclists can enjoy their favorite McDonald’s meal without leaving their bicycles, he said.
There will also be a Bike Repair and Air Pumping Station, as well as an E-Charging Station for e-bikes and scooters to help riders ensure their bicycles or scooters are in top condition before they go.
The McDonald’s Upper East will also feature the modern NXTGEN facility – the Self-Ordering Kiosks (SOK), where customers can order and pay for their food through cash, or credit and debit cards, and claim their order at one of the counters.
There will also be a McCafé with a separate entrance door on the first floor.
Geronimo said for those who wish to work or simply charge their tablets, smartphones, or laptops, McDonald’s The Upper East will have wireless charging facilities installed at the communal tables and power outlets at the McCafé and the alfresco dining areas.
Other facilities within the store include a Party Area for birthday parties and other celebrations, and a Lactation Room for breastfeeding moms.
McDonald’s The Upper East will have a seating capacity of 256 across the store.
A first in Negros, the McDonald’s The Upper East will feature a Side-by-Side (Double Lane) Drive-Thru facility that also includes Customer Order Displays, Reducindo said.
Crew members will be using a Handheld Order-Taking (HHOT) device to take orders from customer’s right from their vehicles to make the experience even more of a breeze, particularly when there’s a long line, he said.
In December 2021 Megaworld opened the McDonald’s Forbes Hill in Bacolod City, the first full-scale NXTGEN store with its own McCafe in Negros inside its 53-hectare Northill Gateway township, which also features the largest Bike and Dine facility in the country. *