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American Morning

Headlines Making News 'Over There'

Aired February 13, 2004 - 07:52   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.


JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Dozens of McDonald's in Britain are getting a fast food facelift. That's what the headline says here.
Would you like Richard Quest for that? Of course, you would. Let's go "Over There" now to London to check in with the man who loves a Big Mac but has never been super-sized. Hey, I don't write this stuff. I just read it.

How are you doing?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Jack.

Now, you would not normally find "Vogue," the magazine, and McDonald's in the same sentence, but this is the latest edition of "Vogue" in Britain. And inside, there is actually a photo shoot that has been shot in the late -- in the newest version of McDonald's, because, Jack, what this is all about is McDonald's in Britain deciding it was a little too down-market. It was time to add some luxury to the Big Mac and fries.

And I decided it was time to go and investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: So, it's all gone a bit posh at McDonald's in London. Just as well, I've dressed properly for the occasion for my Big Mac and fries.

(voice-over): This is all part of McDonald's attempt to go up- market to attract to the cafe society -- the ladies who lunch. Oh, dear, standards seem to be falling.

(on camera): I'll have a posh coffee and a posh sausage and egg, because I'm dressed for the occasion.

Wooden paneling, comfy chairs. Some things never change, though.

(voice-over): Not every McDonald's will be like this, but then not every customer comes dressed to eat.

(on camera): It's all very different -- plasma televisions, computers, posh sofas, even got funny lighting. The one thing they haven't answered, though: What vintage would properly go with an Egg McMuffin?

(END VIDEOTAPE) Now, McDonald's, Jack, says that it's the luxury look that gives the customers the chance to dine in high surroundings for a fraction of the cost.

CAFFERTY: That's comforting. Let me ask you a question. Do the people that work at McDonald's in England speak English?

QUEST: They speak a version of it, which, frankly, none of us seem to understand. So, I think that's the universality about McDonald's. Wherever you are in the world, Big Mac and fries never translate into what you actually get on your plate.

CAFFERTY: All right, on to other things. Tell me about wrap rage. What's that about?

QUEST: It has nothing to do with all of that funny dancing that people do.

CAFFERTY: No, no.

QUEST: No, this is something that people like you, the over-50s, are having...

CAFFERTY: That's very funny.

QUEST: Yes, having difficulty with. It's all to do with, how can you open -- apparently, people over 50 say that opening things like bottles of bleach is becoming almost impossible. They say the hardest things to open are these tins, things like this where you can't get your fingers underneath. And the worst of all, shrink- wrapped cheese. Now, have you ever tried to get into one of these things? You start over here, you sort of end up...

CAFFERTY: Hey, Richard? Richard?

QUEST: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Let me help you out there. Have you heard of something called scissors?

CAFFERTY: Well, you see, the problem is, the older people -- people like yourself -- they say they get sprained wrists, bruises. They have pains when they're opening this sort of thing. It's a new form of wrap rage.

CAFFERTY: I wish we had more time to talk about older people like myself, but we don't. Good-bye. Richard Quest "Over There."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired February 13, 2004 - 07:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Dozens of McDonald's in Britain are getting a fast food facelift. That's what the headline says here.
Would you like Richard Quest for that? Of course, you would. Let's go "Over There" now to London to check in with the man who loves a Big Mac but has never been super-sized. Hey, I don't write this stuff. I just read it.

How are you doing?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Jack.

Now, you would not normally find "Vogue," the magazine, and McDonald's in the same sentence, but this is the latest edition of "Vogue" in Britain. And inside, there is actually a photo shoot that has been shot in the late -- in the newest version of McDonald's, because, Jack, what this is all about is McDonald's in Britain deciding it was a little too down-market. It was time to add some luxury to the Big Mac and fries.

And I decided it was time to go and investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: So, it's all gone a bit posh at McDonald's in London. Just as well, I've dressed properly for the occasion for my Big Mac and fries.

(voice-over): This is all part of McDonald's attempt to go up- market to attract to the cafe society -- the ladies who lunch. Oh, dear, standards seem to be falling.

(on camera): I'll have a posh coffee and a posh sausage and egg, because I'm dressed for the occasion.

Wooden paneling, comfy chairs. Some things never change, though.

(voice-over): Not every McDonald's will be like this, but then not every customer comes dressed to eat.

(on camera): It's all very different -- plasma televisions, computers, posh sofas, even got funny lighting. The one thing they haven't answered, though: What vintage would properly go with an Egg McMuffin?

(END VIDEOTAPE) Now, McDonald's, Jack, says that it's the luxury look that gives the customers the chance to dine in high surroundings for a fraction of the cost.

CAFFERTY: That's comforting. Let me ask you a question. Do the people that work at McDonald's in England speak English?

QUEST: They speak a version of it, which, frankly, none of us seem to understand. So, I think that's the universality about McDonald's. Wherever you are in the world, Big Mac and fries never translate into what you actually get on your plate.

CAFFERTY: All right, on to other things. Tell me about wrap rage. What's that about?

QUEST: It has nothing to do with all of that funny dancing that people do.

CAFFERTY: No, no.

QUEST: No, this is something that people like you, the over-50s, are having...

CAFFERTY: That's very funny.

QUEST: Yes, having difficulty with. It's all to do with, how can you open -- apparently, people over 50 say that opening things like bottles of bleach is becoming almost impossible. They say the hardest things to open are these tins, things like this where you can't get your fingers underneath. And the worst of all, shrink- wrapped cheese. Now, have you ever tried to get into one of these things? You start over here, you sort of end up...

CAFFERTY: Hey, Richard? Richard?

QUEST: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Let me help you out there. Have you heard of something called scissors?

CAFFERTY: Well, you see, the problem is, the older people -- people like yourself -- they say they get sprained wrists, bruises. They have pains when they're opening this sort of thing. It's a new form of wrap rage.

CAFFERTY: I wish we had more time to talk about older people like myself, but we don't. Good-bye. Richard Quest "Over There."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.