Describe your job in a nutshell.
My team does everything from developing new decor packages to designing solutions for the service area. We also work on flagship restaurants and family engagement areas.
You have a degree in architecture. What inspired that interest?
My father was a shop teacher and taught a small architecture class. He actually designed the house I grew up in and I always thought that was very cool.
How did you get into retail design?
I think there’s always been a magnetic pull. I like the pace, how reactive it is, how you can see results faster. It’s also more about people and behavior, as opposed to form and geometry.
What’s been the most rewarding aspect of working for McDonald’s the past three years?
I was pleasantly surprised with everyone’s open attitude to new ideas. That was a little different from my experience with other retail clients who had tight parameters for their branding. And everyone is so nice! I was also surprised by how work happens so quickly with a design team of around 40 responsible for modernizing more than 14,000 restaurants.
McDonald’s is the first restaurant corporation you’ve worked for. What new challenges has the job posed for you?
The durability aspect — the way a restaurant space is used by customers. They sit down, get comfortable and eat food versus a retail space where you shop. Also, everyone is a McDonald’s customer. There’s no singular customer profile — the entire population is our customer — which is a unique challenge.
Where do you and your team find inspiration?
I read a lot of magazines, browse Pinterest and pay attention to the environment around me. Chicago is a big food town, so my team is constantly exposed to new restaurants.
What’s the most innovative restaurant design trend you’re seeing?
It’s interesting to watch companies try to tap into how people shop with mobile devices. How can we integrate that technology into our restaurant experience — and how much of that do people really want?
Do you have any advice for young designers who aspire to have a job like yours?
Find your passion, but know that you’ll still have to do things that are not fun — every job has those. What matters is that you’re proud of your work at the end of the day.
Good Times, Great Taste
Like most Gen-Xers, McDonald’s was a favorite childhood spot for Kincer:
“My father would take me to McDonald’s for breakfast every Saturday morning so my mom could sleep in. I would order the Hotcakes & Sausage, although now I’ve upgraded to the Sausage McGriddle. When I started working here, I brought that memory with me, and it makes me want to figure out how we can provide opportunities for those memories and moments to happen for all of our customers. How can we help create those happy family moments?”