Industry News

McDonalds UK launches free WiFi

McDonald’s is investing £750,000 establishing free wireless internet access in its 1,200 restaurants in a move it claims will make it the UK’s biggest provider of free wi-fi.

Although coffee chains like Starbucks and Coffee Republic offer wireless services to customers, users have to pay to access them.

McDonald’s already offers free wi-fi in more than half of its 13,000 US restaurants, and has also started providing it in Belgium.

Jeremy Green, analyst at research group Ovum, said the move showed how McDonald’s attitudes to its customers had changed over the years, with the company today providing comfortable seating and better quality food to induce customers to linger in its restaurants. “Once upon a time they never wanted you to spend any time there at all.”