Water appears as a waterfall inside special wall panels at this zen-influenced McDonald's in Hacienda Heights, Calif.
 
    The only familiar signs at the McDonald's in California are the golden arches, the drive-through and the menu. Gone are the plastic furniture, Ronald McDonald and the red and yellow palette that has defined the world's largest hamburger chain. Leather seats, earth tones, bamboo plants and water trickling down glass panels have taken their place.

    The makeover elements are meant to help diners achieve happiness and fortune -- whether they realize it or not.

    That's because the restaurant was redesigned using the principles of feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging objects and numbers to promote health, harmony and prosperity.

    The concept is an unlikely fit with fast food. But the restaurant's owners say the designs are aimed at creating a soothing setting that will encourage diners to linger over their burgers and fries, and come back again.

    The makeover is part of the attempt by McDonald's Corp. in recent years to remodel hundreds of its restaurants to attract more patrons with unique decor and amenities.

    It also fits into McDonald's larger corporate practice of catering to local tastes, such as a fondue-style burger in France or a pita-wrapped "McArabia" sandwich in the Middle East.

    "We can't look too cookie cutter," Mark Brownstein, one of three owners of the restaurant, said about the new decor.

    The basic principles of feng shui include placing strategic representations of five natural elements -- earth, water, fire, metal and wood -- around the room to increase the flow of chi, or energy.

    Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) has been employed in the designs of high-rises, banks, even zoo exhibits, and has been popularized by countless coffee table books and TV shows. It's also used in the designs of the Panda Express Chinese food chain.

    The McDonald's in this Los Angeles suburb boasts wood ceiling, silver-coated chairs, plus red accents throughout the dining area to symbolize fire and "good luck, laughter and prosperity," said Brenda Clifford, who designed the dining area.

    Customers are responding positively, whether or not they recognize the feng shui elements. 

    如今，在加利福尼亞一家麥當勞餐廳能看到的眼熟標識恐怕只剩下金色拱門、“得來速”和菜單了。這個全球最大漢堡連鎖店的標志性特點如塑料桌椅、“麥當勞”叔叔塑像、紅黃招牌等通通不見了。取而代之的則是皮沙發(fā)、褐色色調(diào)、盆栽竹和玻璃水幕墻。

    這些新元素的引入是為了給用餐的顧客帶來福氣和好運——無論他們是否意識到這一點。

    這是因為這家麥當勞餐廳重新設計時采用了中國古代的“風水”理念。中國古代根據(jù)“風水”來安排物件擺放和數(shù)量，旨在給人們帶來健康、和諧和興旺。

    “風水”理念與快餐似乎風馬牛不相及。但這家餐廳的經(jīng)理說，采用這一設計是為了營造一種舒緩的用餐環(huán)境，讓顧客慢慢品嘗漢堡和薯條，并成為回頭客。

    這家餐廳的重新設計是麥當勞公司“重建計劃”的一部分。近年來，麥當勞公司對其數(shù)百家餐廳進行重新改造裝修，旨在用其獨特的裝飾和設計來吸引更多的顧客。

    同時，這也是為了響應麥當勞公司一項更大的戰(zhàn)略——“本地化戰(zhàn)略”，比如：麥當勞在法國推出了“干酪堡”，在中東地區(qū)推出“McArabia”圓面皮三明治。

    這家餐廳的三位經(jīng)理之一馬克•布朗斯坦談到新設計時說：“我們不能過于一成不變。”

    “風水”設計的基本原則之一是將象征五行（土、水、火、金、木）的元素置于房間周圍，以增加“氣”（即“活力”）的流動。

    “風水”理念在摩天大樓、銀行、甚至動物園的建筑設計中都有所應用，而且在大量“咖啡桌書”和電視節(jié)目中都有介紹。“熊貓快餐”中餐連鎖店采用的就是風水設計。

    這家麥當勞餐廳位于洛杉磯市郊。負責用餐區(qū)設計的布蘭達•克利福德說，重新設計后的餐廳使用的是木質(zhì)天花板和鍍銀椅，另外，整個用餐區(qū)以代表“火”元素的紅色為主色調(diào)，象征“好運、歡笑和興旺”。

    不管顧客是否認出這些“風水”元素，他們對新設計的反應都不錯。

    Vocabulary: 

    drive-through:汽車餐廳，又稱“得來速”

    earth tones: 由各種不同暖色構成的褐色色調(diào)

    cookie-cutter:一成不變

    coffee table books: 咖啡茶幾上作擺設的書