Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
McDonald's Will Offer Internet Access on East Coast
Aired July 30, 2003 - 06:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a little business buzz right now. The next time you order a Big Mac, you may be able to check your e-mail, too.
Carrie Lee has the details for us. Let's head live to New York and the Nasdaq site.
Good morning -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, McDonald's and AT&T together are going to make wireless Internet access available in 75 restaurants in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Now they are already testing this service in a couple of San Francisco restaurants. The service is going to be free in August and then $2.99 per day afterward.
Now this is the first fast food chain to offer high-speed wireless access in a major market. And by the end of the year, McDonald's plans to offer the service in several hundred more restaurants in the tri-state area, as well as in Chicago and San Francisco. So the idea here, Carol, to make wireless access as popular as a McDonald's hamburger itself.
By the way, they're also expanding store hours in a couple of thousand stores. And some of the servers are going to receive intensive hospitality training. Not exactly sure what that means, but looks like the focus here is certainly on customer service.
COSTELLO: You mean you'll -- the servers will be polite and get you your meal immediately?
LEE: That's what it sounds like, service with a smile. We'll see. They have done a lot on this front. They have done a lot of revamping. They reported profits yesterday for the second quarter and the stock actually gained over 4 percent on their report. Same store sales in the United States up very nicely, the best they've seen in years. So it looks like the turnaround strategy is starting to pay off.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll get back to you in the next half hour, many thanks. Carrie Lee live from New York.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 30, 2003 - 06:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a little business buzz right now. The next time you order a Big Mac, you may be able to check your e-mail, too.
Carrie Lee has the details for us. Let's head live to New York and the Nasdaq site.
Good morning -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, McDonald's and AT&T together are going to make wireless Internet access available in 75 restaurants in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Now they are already testing this service in a couple of San Francisco restaurants. The service is going to be free in August and then $2.99 per day afterward.
Now this is the first fast food chain to offer high-speed wireless access in a major market. And by the end of the year, McDonald's plans to offer the service in several hundred more restaurants in the tri-state area, as well as in Chicago and San Francisco. So the idea here, Carol, to make wireless access as popular as a McDonald's hamburger itself.
By the way, they're also expanding store hours in a couple of thousand stores. And some of the servers are going to receive intensive hospitality training. Not exactly sure what that means, but looks like the focus here is certainly on customer service.
COSTELLO: You mean you'll -- the servers will be polite and get you your meal immediately?
LEE: That's what it sounds like, service with a smile. We'll see. They have done a lot on this front. They have done a lot of revamping. They reported profits yesterday for the second quarter and the stock actually gained over 4 percent on their report. Same store sales in the United States up very nicely, the best they've seen in years. So it looks like the turnaround strategy is starting to pay off.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll get back to you in the next half hour, many thanks. Carrie Lee live from New York.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com
