Yahoo Finance McDonalds goes meta: Fast food giant to open virtual restaurant
It may soon be possible to order a McDonalds burger in a virtual restaurant and have it delivered to your door with the fast food giant lodging a series of trademarks applications to operate in the metaverse.
According to trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who announced the trademark applications on Twitter, the application will secure the company’s rights to operate "a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods”.
McDonald's is headed to the metaverse.
The company has filed 10 (TEN!) trademark applications indicating it plans to offer "a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods" and "operating a virtual restaurant featuring home delivery."#Mcdonalds #Metaverse pic.twitter.com/J9pK7EK9nl— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) February 9, 2022
This could allow visitors of the metaverse, which is a shared virtual environment that can be accessed via the internet, to order fries and nuggets and either eat them as an avatar in a virtual restaurant or have them delivered in real life.
And read: Explainer-What is the "metaverse"?
And read: Republic's metaverse real estate arm spins off, rebrands as Everyrealm
Facebook has become a major player in the development of virtual worlds with the company last year announcing the parent company would be renamed Meta and would transition from a social media company to a metaverse company over several years.
Some metaverses, such as Decentraland, use blockchain technology so that users can buy virtual land and other digital assets using cryptocurrencies.
The value of this digital property is exploding, with virtual real estate prices rising by 700 per cent in 2021 according to some reports.
By using virtual reality or augmented reality technologies, these online spaces are expected to become increasingly lifelike and immersive.
The race to join the metaverse
McDonalds is not the only company vying for a spot in the metaverse. Panera Bread, a US based chain of bakery-café restaurants, also recently filed trademark applications to secure its place in the digital universe.
Companies such as sports brand Nike and US retail giant Walmart have also filed for trademarks.
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