Where is the Mcdonalds 'flagship' store on Oxford Street?

heart-of-wessex · 6 Feb 2024

Hello all,

Does anyone know where the Mcdonalds 'flagship' store on Oxford Street? I see it online but it's just referred to as 'Oxford Street', looks like a big entrance and has three floors, but googling McDonald's Oxford Street points me to 3 different ones, and the results for 'McDonald's UK Flagship London store' doesn't come up with an address.

McDonald's - Oxford Street, London

McDonald’s has opened the first Landini designed flagship store in the UK. Built over three floors in multiple interconnecting buildings, the store is an…

www.landiniassociates.com

Any help appreciated!

RailUK Forums

yorkshireguy21 · 6 Feb 2024

It appears to be the McDonalds located (near-ish) to the TKMaxx (between Oxford Circus and . If you cross-reference the photos on Google Maps, they appear to be similar to the ones in the link you attached.

Google Maps gives this address: 185-187 Oxford St, London W1D 2JU

heart-of-wessex · 7 Feb 2024

Ahh I see! See it on Streetview now, think I remember looking at it and thinking that can't be it, looks a bit small, but that'll be it as I can see the 3 storeys

Thanks very much

Busaholic · 7 Feb 2024

It appears to be at the junction of Oxford Street (north side) and Tinsley Street, nearer Oxford Circus than Tottenham Court Road. Trip Advisor reviews would not lead anyone to seek it out!

jon81uk · 8 Feb 2024

heart-of-wessex said:
Hello all,

Does anyone know where the Mcdonalds 'flagship' store on Oxford Street? I see it online but it's just referred to as 'Oxford Street', looks like a big entrance and has three floors, but googling McDonald's Oxford Street points me to 3 different ones, and the results for 'McDonald's UK Flagship London store' doesn't come up with an address.

McDonald's - Oxford Street, London

McDonald’s has opened the first Landini designed flagship store in the UK. Built over three floors in multiple interconnecting buildings, the store is an…

www.landiniassociates.com

Any help appreciated!

I think it means flagship as in first to use this branding and architecture style in the UK, not flagship as in the biggest/best/prestiguous store they have.

Don't think they really do have a true "flagship" restaurant in the UK.

Mojo · 8 Feb 2024

l’d be surprised if that was their flagship branch given it only recently started offering the ‘Made for You’ service with all items freshly prepared by the staff, with order numbers and self service machines.

Prior to this it was one of the last in the country that still had burgers pre-made and waiting, and all orders made at the staffed checkouts with orders delivered to you at the checkout as opposed to a designated collection point. l was surprised to see this method still deployed at the Waterloo station branch, can’t be many more left now in the UK.

lt’s strange how McDonalds USA branches still look like how they did in the UK 25 years ago, everything very old fashioned over there.

jon81uk · 8 Feb 2024

Mojo said:
l’d be surprised if that was their flagship branch given it only recently started offering the ‘Made for You’ service with all items freshly prepared by the staff, with order numbers and self service machines.

Prior to this it was one of the last in the country that still had burgers pre-made and waiting, and all orders made at the staffed checkouts with orders delivered to you at the checkout as opposed to a designated collection point.

Are you sure? The Oxford St restaurant was on the touchscreen order and collect method when I visited in 2020 for certain (table service only at the time).

Looking on Google Street View it appears the rebrand shown in the above link was done in 2018-2019 as street view in 2019 shows the new branding.

McDonald's

maps.app.goo.gl

Mojo said:
l was surprised to see this method still deployed at the Waterloo station branch, can’t be many more left now in the UK.

I think Victoria station was still on the old system a year or two ago but that might have changed by now, the one in the arcade above Bond St underground also was very late to be converted to touch screen ordering (that had a very late refurbishment just before McDs switched to touch screens, so I think they held off refurbishing again).

Mojo · 8 Feb 2024

jon81uk said:
Are you sure? The Oxford St restaurant was on the touchscreen order and collect method when I visited in 2020 for certain (table service only at the time).

Looking on Google Street View it appears the rebrand shown in the above link was done in 2018-2019 as street view in 2019 shows the new branding.

Slightly confused what you're saying, you appear to start off by disagreeing with me, then later agreeing?

jon81uk · 8 Feb 2024

Mojo said:
Slightly confused what you're saying, you appear to start off by disagreeing with me, then later agreeing?

You said it only recently got switched to touchscreen ordering, but it was done five years ago (which is not recently) and there are many others that switched later. 2018-2019 seems to be when many stores switched so the Oxford St one was not an outlier really.

Mojo · 8 Feb 2024

jon81uk said:
You said it only recently got switched to touchscreen ordering, but it was done five years ago (which is not recently) and there are many others that switched later. 2018-2019 seems to be when many stores switched so the Oxford St one was not an outlier really.

It is recent in comparison to the majority of shops (+80% which had already switched before this shop was refurbished).

Mag_seven · 8 Feb 2024

Back in the day wasn't the flagship store the one opposite Marble Arch? I don't think its there now?

Thirteen · 8 Feb 2024

Mojo said:
l’d be surprised if that was their flagship branch given it only recently started offering the ‘Made for You’ service with all items freshly prepared by the staff, with order numbers and self service machines.

Prior to this it was one of the last in the country that still had burgers pre-made and waiting, and all orders made at the staffed checkouts with orders delivered to you at the checkout as opposed to a designated collection point. l was surprised to see this method still deployed at the Waterloo station branch, can’t be many more left now in the UK.

lt’s strange how McDonalds USA branches still look like how they did in the UK 25 years ago, everything very old fashioned over there.

In the UK, McDonald's own more of their branches outright whereas the US it's mainly franchised.

I'm not sure what would be considered their flagship, perhaps one of the bigger ones within Central London like Leicester Square or Charing Cross Road?

Busaholic · 8 Feb 2024

Mag_seven said:
Back in the day wasn't the flagship store the one opposite Marble Arch? I don't think its there now?

Yes, it was. Remember seeing the new 'Gandhi' film in the cinema next door and spending some time in there waiting for other ex-colleagues to join us for a reunion. One had come from canvassing in the Bermondsey by-election where Peter Tatchell was expected to win, so it would have been 1981.

Trackman · 8 Feb 2024

Thirteen said:
I'm not sure what would be considered their flagship, perhaps one of the bigger ones within Central London like Leicester Square or Charing Cross Road?

My first McDonald's was at the Leicester square one - but the old one (now gone), that was in 1976.
Back to your question, I'd actually go for the new Leicester square one as it's huge, there is outside seating and it has 2 floors.

Busaholic · 8 Feb 2024

Trackman said:
My first McDonald's was at the Leicester square one - but the old one (now gone), that was in 1976.
Back to your question, I'd actually go for the new Leicester square one as it's huge, there is outside seating and it has 2 floors.

Around 1978/9 their Croydon one with side entrance to the Whitgift Centre, on two floors, was used for training new managers etc with the head manager from the original Woolwich branch from 1974 in charge: I would guess he was at least 70 years old at the time. McDonad's hadn't gone down the franchise route then, and it might have been their largest branch, the first floor going back quite a long way.

Jamiescott1 · 8 Feb 2024

Mojo said:
lt’s strange how McDonalds USA branches still look like how they did in the UK 25 years ago, everything very old fashioned over there.

Canada has the same set up as the uk ones

I didn't know they had a flag ship.
Oxford Street used to be the home of flagship stores : virgin, top shop, m&s, hmv, house of fraser.

James H · 8 Feb 2024

The Walworth Road branch in London retains the old style counter service. It’s in a building earmarked for development so don’t think the franchisee wanted to convert it prior to the overall works to the building.

Bald Rick · 8 Feb 2024

Mojo said:
lt’s strange how McDonalds USA branches still look like how they did in the UK 25 years ago, everything very old fashioned over there.

Interesting - those I’ve used in the USA in recent years are laid out how they are here. In fact the first one i ever saw with the new format was in Orlando, almost a decade ago.

heart-of-wessex · 9 Feb 2024

Doesn't sound worth it then, some shocking reviews on that store on TripAdvisor!!

I thought it would be big, but there was one the biggest in Europe but was on Olympic Park and only opened through the Olympics, not sure its right to call it Europe's biggest McDonalds when it wasn't permanent and only there for 6 months

Bald Rick · 9 Feb 2024

heart-of-wessex said:
Doesn't sound worth it then, some shocking reviews on that store on TripAdvisor!!

I thought it would be big, but there was one the biggest in Europe but was on Olympic Park and only opened through the Olympics, not sure its right to call it Europe's biggest McDonalds when it wasn't permanent and only there for 6 months

It goes with the Territory - at the nearby London Stadium you‘ll hear Hammers fans claiming they are “Champions of Europe”. For another 16 weeks at least.

Busaholic · 9 Feb 2024

Bald Rick said:
It goes with the Territory - at the nearby London Stadium you‘ll hear Hammers fans claiming they are “Champions of Europe”. For another 16 weeks at least.

If they beat Arsenal on Sunday I'll hear the roars from here in Penzance :smile:

Russel · 10 Feb 2024

I assumed it would have been the branch on the corner opposite John Lewis, you could walk past the actual flagship store without even noticing it is there!

The branch on Ludgate Hill, near City Thameslink is much nicer that any on Oxford Street, it's normally spotless and fairy quiet, whenever I've used it.

Busaholic · 10 Feb 2024

The 'flagship' concept doesn't really sit well with so many outlets franchised. In its first few years in the UK McDonald's attempted to make a big issue of owning, and thus having full control, of all their restaurants, unlike then rivals Wimpy's etc.

Dai Corner · 10 Feb 2024

A large majority of UK McDonalds are franchised

How many McDonald's restaurants are there in the U.K. and the world?

www.mcdonalds.com

Within the UK, there are approximately 1300 restaurants of which around 1100 are franchised. McDonald's has over 36,000 restaurants in the world, operating in over 100 countries and territories. There are approximately 120,00 people employed by McDonald's UK and over one million worldwide.

Busaholic · 10 Feb 2024

Dai Corner said:
A large majority of UK McDonalds are franchised

How many McDonald's restaurants are there in the U.K. and the world?

www.mcdonalds.com

Precisely, that's why I made the comment, but originally they made a great virtue of that not being the case.

Where is the Mcdonalds 'flagship' store on Oxford Street?

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