In an ongoing effort to provide the best in customer service, McDonald's in Uruguay has continually sought new ways to make the customer experience faster and more comfortable. Recently, the company sought to offer an increasingly fresh and made-to-order menu.

To accomplish this, McDonald's implemented operational changes in food production, introducing a system called "Made for You" (MFY). Under the MFY system, food products are made to order, with production beginning while the customer places his or her order with the cashier. Along with delivering fresh, high quality products, the system aims to personalize each customer request, enabling them to adjust the ingredients of each sandwich or salad.

The MFY production process required the instant transmission of orders from the cash register to the kitchen prep area, even before the customer has completed the order. Implementation of the "Made for You" kitchens called for investment in hardware and software technology to facilitate the operation – including monitors throughout the production area to display orders to the kitchen staff.

Among the many factors needed to make the Made for You kitchens a reality, the MFY operations team needed to install multiple monitors on production lines in kitchens of varying sizes and layouts, strategically placing them for convenient visibility to the employees who make orders.

Their requirements were many. The displays needed to be highly reliable and durable enough for the commercial environment, along with delivering quality images and sound. Suitable connectivity and integrated speakers were a must. According to the team’s IT & Tech Director, José Barbeito, a trio of ViewSonic monitors provided the ideal solution.

“We chose ViewSonic not for one reason, but for many,” said Barbeito. “We needed strong monitors able to undergo the rigors of a restaurant kitchen. We needed reliable equipment that not only offered quality but also a properly supported warranty. As for technology, we wanted monitors that provided us with a good image and connectivity, particularly with integrated speakers.”

Importantly, Barbeito added, the team was also looking for a product that met all
these criteria at a reasonable price. The ViewSonic VA2246m-LED, VA2451m-LED and VA2446m-LED models accomplished all of these goals, said Barbeito, and, “Because of all of this we chose ViewSonic.”

The Made for You system has been an outstanding success for McDonald’s Uruguay, improving the efficiency of employees and equipment, delivering optimal quality and reducing food production waste.

“After over a year since the system installation, the ViewSonic monitors have met our expectations,” said Barbeito. “In every McDonald’s restaurant in Uruguay, the performance has been ideal, both visibility and sound have worked correctly, and thus we are pleased with the brand.”

Everyone from employees to store managers and the IT department are satisfied with the display performance.

“As for production operations, the ViewSonic displays have made it easy for our employees, with their Full HD resolution, 10M:1 MEGA Dynamic Contrast Ratio and 5ms response time delivering continuous clear images that result in an excellent visual experience,” said Barbeito. “Also, thanks to the VESA mounting system, we were able to easily install the displays at appropriate sites, allowing for a clear uninterrupted view among the production equipment.”

Today, all McDonald’s restaurants in Uruguay use ViewSonic monitors to facilitate Made for You menus. A range of display sizes are installed according to each site’s dimensions, with larger sites using up to eight monitors in their kitchens for a total of over a hundred installations. A testament to the success of the MFY concept, as well as the ViewSonic displays: new locations will be opening soon to offer fresh, made-to-order meals, delivered real time from the register to the kitchen via ViewSonic displays.