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McDonald's new Chicago HQ: Green roof, 'Work Cafe,' department 'neighborhoods,'

McDonald's corporate HQ blows back into the Windy City with a whole new look and feel that is definitely not your "father's McDonald's HQ."

Photo courtesy of McDonald's.

June 5, 2018

McDonald's Corporation started the week by opening its new corporate headquarters in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood Monday by dropping a 70-foot by 470-foot Big Mac-emblazoned wrap from the building's exterior in a opening ceremony with leadership, employees and VIPs, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a news release said. 

"Our move back home to Chicago is about more than a building - it's symbolic of our journey to transform our brand and become more closely connected with our customers," CEO Steve Easterbrook said at the ceremony. "Our new location enables us to better listen, learn and engage with our customers whilst providing a modern, worker-friendly headquarters that fosters collaboration and re-energizes employees."

The company's corporate headquarters were last located in Chicago in 1971, after which it moved out of the city to the suburban community of the sprawling Illinois metropolis. The new structure will house offices for about 2,000 employees based there, as well as the flagship Hamburger University for employee training. 

The new structure was designed to enhance employee collaboration, through the following features: 

• Work neighborhoods: An open floor plans where employees can choose the environment which best fits their needs at specific times. Each departmental "neighborhood" includes huddle rooms, communal tables, workstations, private phone rooms and personal lockers.
• Conference center:A 700-person tech-equipped space allowing global connectivity. 
• Work Café: Sixth floor collaboration space with stadium seating that is designed to represent the colorful tube/tunnels in a restaurant location's PlayPlace. Offers barista-style coffee, Canadian pastries and a tech bar.
• Outdoor terrace spaces.
• Green roofover LEED-certified structure. 
• Experience of the Future McDonald's on ground floor with rotating global menu, self-order kiosks, table service, enhanced hospitality, mobile order and payment and McDelivery with Uber Eats.

Sterling Bay developed the building while Gensler served as architect, with interiors by IA Interior Architects and Studio O+A. General contractors were McHugh & ECI Executive Construction Inc. The building encompasses 490,000 square feet of space.