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McDonald’s testing classy table service at Australian restaurant

Have you always dreamed of a Big Mac being served to you on a plate with glassware and silver cutlery? Well, your dream might be coming true.

A single McDonald’s in Warilla, New South Wales, about 100 kilometres south of Sydney, is becoming the first McDonald’s in the world to offer china plates, silver cutlery and table service when ordering specific menu items.

If the trial-run goes well, the McDonald’s dine-in experience could be available in North America within six months.

According to an article published in the Illawarra Mercury, the couple who run the frachise, Glenn and Katia Dwarte, came up with the idea after they started serving their parents meals using cutlery during weekly visits.

When McDonald’s Australia chief executive Carolina Noble visited the restaurant before Christmas, she was so inspired by the idea that she contacted the international headquarters and was given a go-ahead for a five-week trial which started on Monday.

For the next month, anyone ordering a Grand Angus, Big Mac or Chicken Deluxe meal on a Monday or Tuesday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. will be able to have their meals delivered to their table with a plate and cutlery.

Of course, it raises a few questions.

What exactly would you need the cutlery for? And what do you do if you order a Big Mac and your friend orders something that isn’t on the table-service menu? Do they eat with their hands while you eat like a queen with a real fork and knife?

Also, what about tipping? In Australia, tipping is not the norm and there are no mandatory gratuities. For those that do tip, it is generally only for exemplary service in expensive restaurants at about 10 per cent. Would a McDonald's patron be expected to leave a tip?

So far, the Dwartes say it’s been well-received.

‘‘Most of the people who came in decided to try it,’’ Mrs. Dwarte tells the Illawarra Mercury.

‘‘Most were quite excited. We actually had a group of eight people who asked me to take a photo of them so they could put it on Facebook. We are also providing customer surveys so we can gauge the feedback.’’

Assuming that the service did come to Canada, would it fare well here? Tell us what you think in the comments.