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How a space is arranged for public use says a lot about the activities expected and the preferred ways that a particular culture might decide to carry out these activities. It is a complex relationship where the space defines the actions of the people using it, but the people using also define the space being used. To make this concept a little easier to understand, it is helpful to look at a well-known public space such as the food chain McDonald’s, where most restaurants are designed according to the same general plan.
McDonald’s restaurants are usually pretty straightforward in their intended use. Upon walking in the door, usually positioned near the approximate center of a rectangular block, the customer is placed close to the empty space in front of a serving counter. If the restaurant is crowded, this generally has the effect of placing the newly entered customer conveniently at the back of the line. The customer is generally greeted, though, with a sense of open space and a gleaming stainless steel countertop manned by a low computerized cash register, a smiling teenager waiting to take their order, and large lighted menu boards over the teenager’s head that provide both pictures and text regarding the food available and the prices charged. Whether they are ordering food to eat at the restaurant or food to take away with them, the customer is provided with a wide-open space in which to await the delivery of their food, which, thanks to Frederick Taylor’s scientific management theory (1911), has been reduced to almost no time at all.
The computerized register makes it possible for the customer’s order to be delivered to the back of the kitchen area (nearly totally separated from the rest of the restaurant behind the counter) at the same time that the order is made. Beginning with the receipt of the order, delivered to a monitor screen directly from the cash register, buns, which used to take 20-30 seconds to toast, are now toasted in a machine that reaches temperatures of 545 degrees, reducing the time needed for this stage of the work down to 11 seconds. Once the buns come out of the toaster, a second employee assembles the particular sandwich ordered from a divided condiment stand in the center of a long preparation table. This streamlines the process by placing each item in order of its correct placement for the various products made. All condiments are kept at room temperature to keep them from cooling the meat before the customer receives the sandwich. These are placed within easy reach for a single employee moving down the line or for a couple of employees working with specific elements of the sandwich during peak periods in a production line approach. With this arrangement, it has been determined that the assembly time for sandwiches should take no more than 20 seconds. The last phase of production is when the meat patty, which is the only portion of the sandwich prepared ahead of time, is placed on the bun and the sandwich is wrapped, estimated to take approximately 14 seconds. Adding all this together, the customer is presented with their order at approximately the same time as their change.
Once the food is delivered to the customer, they have the option of moving around a central feature in the restaurant, most usually a planter of some sort that also serves as a condiment stand or container for high chair storage, to sit in the seating area. This area is usually tiled, making it easy to clean up in case of spills, but providing a more home-touched look to the restaurant rather than the industrial coldness this usually provides. The tables and booths are typically fixed in place, bolted to the floor to provide safety in recognition of the sometimes chaotic use of space at times when the restaurant is crowded with children anxious to go out and play. Chairs are either free moving or are attached to the tables with a swivel feature. These seating features are typically arranged to accommodate small groups of people of either two or four eaters at a time, with one or two tables available for larger groups in the center area. Although the chairs are ergonomically designed, meaning they are molded to conform to the average human body, they are usually constructed of plastic or steel with very little in the way of padding. This is necessary for appropriate cleaning, particularly given the clientele of usually busy children and harassed moms, but does not make the restaurant overly comfortable for long-term lounging. As a result, the restaurant appears comfortable and welcoming, but over time, it helps to encourage patrons to leave and open up space for new customers.
The color scheme of the restaurants has also been designed to have this effect. In its early years, the chain suggested a heavy use of reds and yellows in the color scheme of the brand. This was reflected in the Golden Arches that are the trademark brand of the company as well as with the brightly colored outfit of the brand’s mascot, the clown Ronald McDonald. The bright reds and yellows were designed to appeal to the youngest Mcdonald’s customers while they also served, because of the energy and aggression usually associated with these colors, to drive people out of the restaurants once their hunger was satisfied. “Warm colors convey emotions from simple optimism to strong violence. The warmth of red, yellow, pink or orange can create excitement or even anger” (Bear, 2006). In recent years, the restaurants have added children’s playgrounds to attract kids and have changed their interior color scheme to more relaxing blues and purples as a means of appealing to parents who are likely to need a break from the business of the day. “Cool colors tend to have a calming effect. At one end of the spectrum they are cold, impersonal, antiseptic colors. At the other end the cool colors are comforting and nurturing” (Bear, 2006). With the addition of plants and the playground atmosphere, itself full of these colors, the restaurants present a more friendly approach to the consumer.
In examining the space used by McDonald’s, it can be easily traced how the space works to define the activities to take place within it as well as how the use of the space has evolved in response to the consumer. The restaurant chain has a reputation for fast food and fast service, which has been built upon through the use of management theories, color theories, and consumer studies. At the same time, consumers have made their wishes known in terms of faster service, quality products, and comfortable environments that meet the needs of young children and parents in need of a momentary break. The nature of the business illustrates the need for speed that is an inherent part of American culture while it also presents the separation of generations that make up a large part of American society in its encouragement of children to leave the table before the meal is finished in order to play on the equipment. Parents can be seen taking advantage of the protected playground to enjoy a few moments on their own, further highlighting the concept that the American culture is frequently overloaded and in desperate need of a quiet place, if even for only a few minutes.
Works Cited
Bear, Jacci Howard. “The Meaning of Color.” About Desktop Publishing. (2006). Web.
Taylor, Frederick Winslow. The Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1911.
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