mcdonald build your own burger test a

Last year, McDonald’s began testing out a new “build your own burger” option with its customers in Laguna Niguel, California. The company has announced plans to expand the test to between five and one hundred more locations across Southern California.

According to Kevin Newell, U.S. brand and strategy officer, the program has been drawing in new people and increasing dinnertime traffic at the Laguna Niguel location. The expansion of the test offers a chance to discover whether customization is a legitimate long-term option or simply a short-term novelty.

For McDonald’s, the move is largely an attempt to match competitors like Subway and Chipotle, who attribute much of their industry success to menu customization. While a customer can currently walk into a Subway and choose the exact bread, size, and ingredients of a sandwich, McDonald’s can always be trusted to wrap a Big Mac with the same bread, patty, veggies, and condiments.

Besides customizing its menu, McDonald’s is installing new tables in the kitchens of more than 14,000 American locations. The new table space will supposedly be used for additional ingredients, such as jalapenos or salsa.

With strategic shifts like these, it’s not yet clear what McDonald’s will look like a year from now, but it’s a safe bet to assume that customization is part of the deal.