Address: 541 6th Ave at 14th St, Manhattan - F,V Trains to 14th St; L-Train to 6th Ave
Traditional fast food chains don't exactly have a great image in New York City. They are generally associates with 1980s decor, overflowing trash bins, dirty tables, long food and bathroom lines, and poor and slow service. This seems to have been the accepted norm for over two decades, but a recent wave of hip (and clean) chains such as Chipotle, Qdoba, and Baja Fresh is starting to shift expectations.
All-in-all a layout rollout such as this would benefit McDonalds' image in New York City. Unfortunately, given the multitude of operators and franchisers throughout the city, I don't think we'll be seeing an abundance of these "euro-chic" McDonald's citywide anytime soon.
The McDonald's experience in New York City is generally dismal. Many, if not all of the characteristics described above tend to be part of the experience. Recently the chain has begun to attempt to change its image in the United States, entering "the coffee wars" with Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Similar "warfare" has been waged for over a decade in Europe, where McDonald's has had to compete with a culture of coffeehouses and a culture generally more embracing of coffee varieties beyond plain diner-style. This experience has generally been branded "McCafé" and can be found in many larger cities outside the United States, including Montreal.
In more recent times, the "distinctly non-plain American interior" has spread to the restaurant portion of McDonald's. In Europe this generally consists of an IKEA-style interior, and that's exactly what has been brought to 6th Avenue at 14th Street.
The menu is the same as any New York City McDonald's. However, you get to enjoy your Big Mac while lounging in comfortable wide chains with high backs. Besides this lounge-like seating there is also a "laptop bar" on the second floor with cushioned bar-stool seating.
Another distinguishing feature appears to be friendlier service from the staff (which wears black uniforms). During my visit the manager stood on the customer side of the counter and reassured customers that their order was on the way. Later she asked me how my meal was. There was also far more table cleaning going on during my visit versus a regular NYC McDonald's.
One vestige of an unwelcoming NYC McDonald's peculiarly remains: The "no loitering" sign which mentions a maximum table stay of 20 minutes "while consuming food". While this rule didn't seem to be enforced (my stay was around 30 minutes), this seems rather ridiculous to me in light of what McDonald's is trying to achieve here. We all know the average Starbucks stay is more around 45 minutes. But maybe its presence is merely a formality.