CNET News.com reports that McDonald’s has chosen Wayport to provide WiFi service in its U.S. restaurants. They intend to make the service available in 3,000 restaurants before the end of 2004, and will “eventually” serve the remaining 10,000 locations in the United States.
McDonald’s customers will be able to use the WiFi service inside a restaurant for two hours for a charge of $2.95. Wayport will also offer a number of different billing arrangements directly, including $29.95 per month for access at any location they serve, including those not inside McDonald’s restaurants.
I’ve read comments indicating that this is not going to attract more customers to McDonald’s, but I wonder about that, particularly as they roll out past the initial target of 3,000 restaurants. There are a lot more McDonald’s out there than Starbucks.
The big question in my mind is whether McDonald’s will be quiet enough for people to concentrate during the middle of the day. Ever been to a McDonald’s with a PlayPlace at about 1 PM?
I noticed that the McDonald’s USA restaurant locator lists Playland/PlayPlace, Drive Thru, and store type, but not WiFi availability. I think they should put a WiFi availability attribute into the locator, and make the locator more accessible from handhelds and mobile phones.