DESSERT STATION. The newest McDonald’s store at The Upper East in Bacolod City features the world’s first dessert station on a “bagon” or train, a replica of the ones used to transport sugarcane to the mills. It pays tribute to the site being a former complex of the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver)
BACOLOD CITY – This city’s Masskara Festival and historic sugar mill are highlighted in the design of the newest quick service restaurant considered as “uniquely Bacolod”.
Dubbed the “most beautiful McDonald’s” in the country, the store features colorful giant masks as well as the world’s first dessert station on a “bagon” or train, a replica of the ones used to transport sugarcane to the mills.
Following its official opening on Monday, it has become a favorite spot at the Megaworld’s The Upper East, a 34-hectare township located along the Circumferential Road near the Bacolod City Government Center.
In a statement, Eugene Reducindo, managing director of Choice Gourmet Banquet Inc., which franchises and operates Megaworld-owned McDonald’s stores, said their vision is to make the store a “destination,” or more than just a place where everyone can enjoy eating their favorite meals.
“This store is ‘uniquely Bacolod’ as it showcases what the City of Smiles truly deserves,” he added.
With a huge “I Love Bacolod” signage on the front, the store has a 2,200-square meter landscaped, curated park, serving as an open alfresco dining area, the biggest of such facility among the McDonald’s restaurants in the country.
Paying tribute to the site being a former complex of the Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company, the store now serves as home to the refurbished century-old BMMC train, which is the park’s iconic centerpiece.
Situated beside the train is an extension that functions as a dessert center for take-outs of sundaes and drinks, making it the world’s first-ever McDonald’s dessert station on a train.
The train is also surrounded by statues of sugar farmers as a tribute to the heritage and legacy of the former sugar central.
“We really take pride in opening our second branch in Bacolod City. We opened the stores less than a year apart. We always take pride in being part of the economic progress of Bacolod City,” Judy Gabriel, executive director of Choice Gourmet Banquet Inc., said. (PNA)
