CHICAGO, IL - After over forty years in the 'burbs, McDonald’s moved its HQ back to the heart of the Windy City. According to CNBC, Mickey D’s opened its $250 million headquarters building last week as part of its plan to become a more modern and progressive company that stays in-the-know about emerging food trends.

“We were based on the edge of the city for about the last 40 something years,” CEO Steve Easterbrook told CNBC. “It’s been a wonderful facility for us, but it was a little detached from everyday life.”

The new building is open to the public and offers different popular international menu items every few months, so those of us who have been drooling over the likes of The Loaded Lettuce, Pineapple Pies, the McVegan Burger, Banana Sundaes and McFlurries, and the McShake Kiwi, to name a few, only have to travel to Chicago to get our hands on these treats.

With nine floors and at 490,000-square-feet, McDonald’s headquarters also now features a brand-new test kitchen, an employee café with stadium seating for collaboration, outdoor terraces with views of Chicago, a Hamburger University where the company trains its managers, and over 300 conference rooms, “work neighborhoods,” and café-like work spaces around the building.

Will McDonald’s new headquarters keep it relevant with changing consumer convenience demands? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on all things fresh.

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