Slow Food of the Day: McDonald's Experiments with Reservations and Table Service in Sweden

"The lady will have a Big Mac."

McDonald's has been going through a tough time, recently. Globally it seems like people are realizing that heavily processed fast food rich in fats and sugars might not be the best bet for a long and happy life.

So, the giant chain has gone back to the drawing board with random things like a new hamburglar and this latest ploy to get some golden arches fans in Sweden.

At a few locations, McDonald's will try taking reservations for tables and having a wait staff to take orders. This according to Yahoo News:

Burger lovers can book a table online at a Swedish website that offers that service for many restaurants -- in many price ranges -- around the country. The McDonald's customer will have to order at least two items from the menu for one to four people.

The home of the Big Mac is testing reservations and table service in a country that has been a difficult market. McDonald's has faced fierce competition there from US rival Burger King and Swedish chain Max.

But this latest experiment seems to undermine the whole idea of fast food.

"It's innovative but at the same time it's going backwards in the world of the restaurant industry," where the concept of fast food was invented in the 1950s, said Nicolas Nouchi, analyst at CHD Expert.

We can't really imagine what it would be like to sit at a table and have some poor person take your order for chicken nuggets and a large fry. But Swedes love competent service from all food vendors.

McDonald's should just tell Sweden about the secret menu, including the unfortunately-named McGangBang.