The fast-food giant will bring multiple departments together at a facility called “Speedee Labs” at its global headquarters in Chicago.
Speedee Labs will be focused on driving the customer experience and supporting innovation. The new facility will utilise a combination of McDonald’s existing footprint, as well as an additional 15,000sq ft of leased space within the same building as its headquarters.
Employees from McDonald’s corporate office and the company’s existing innovation centre in Romeoville, Illinois, will collaborate on end-to-end development of restaurant solutions and technologies. Speedee Labs expects a phased opening to begin in the second half of 2023, which is when employees currently operating services out of the innovation centre will relocate to McDonald’s headquarters.
“Our customers’ and restaurant teams’ needs are changing, and meeting their expectations requires us to work together in new ways,” said Manu Steijaert, McDonald’s Executive VP and Chief Customer Officer. “Just as the creation of McDonald’s customer experience team brought key aspects of our business strategy together, the creation of Speedee Labs will enable more of our customers, restaurant teams, markets and global teams to contribute to our innovation, while driving growth and creating more seamless and memorable McDonald’s experiences.”
