WcDonald’s—yes, with a “W”—has popped up with free food in a storefront in a West Hollywood strip mall that’s been flipped into an immersive dining room. Alright, so… what exactly is going on here?
Let’s back up first: WcDonald’s has been a fixture in anime and manga for more than four decades, a way to skirt around trademark laws by flipping the McDonald’s golden arches upside-down. But now the fast food giant has decided to partake in the parody too with a rollout of manga packaging and savory chili WcDonald’s sauce around the globe.
L.A., though, is the only place that you’ll find this WcDonald’s immersive dining experience. OpenTable reservations sold out almost immediately, but you’re welcome to wait in line on March 9 and 10 for a free meal and what I thought was actually a pretty fun though very silly experience. Service runs from 11am to 8pm on Saturday and Sunday, with seatings on the hour—yes, this is a seated experience, limited to 60 people at a time. If you show up without a reservation, it essentially means you’ll be filling in the open seats left by any latecomers, so just keep that in mind.
You’ll easily spot the space on La Cienega Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard by its “W” sign. Inside, you won’t find a typical McDonald’s; instead, it’s a mostly empty space aside from the tables and chairs, though every wall and surface has been blanketed in projections. To start, these mimic what looks like your everyday McDonald’s, but as the half-hour show goes on, you’ll find yourself transported into a few different anime-inspired environments.
On your tabletop, you’ll play mini games that require you to keep moving around your sauce packets, and you’ll be treated to some animated sequences before and after your free food comes out. Honestly, I don’t really want to spoil much more than that because I think the animation and effects are all pretty cool—though if the walk-up wait ends up being some hours-long ordeal, it’s maybe not quite that cool.
After all, upside-down-M or not, this is still ultimately a standard McDonald’s meal—specifically chicken McNuggets, fries, a Sprite and an Oreo McFlurry. The last time I was a McDonald’s regular was probably when they had those mini Beanie Babies, but even I can tell you that, yep, these 10-piece McNuggets sure taste like McNuggets. The WcDonald’s sauce with it reminds me of spicy teriyaki, sweet and savory with just a little bit of chili heat. But hey, if you’re able to secure a reservation or wait in line, free is free (aside from the merch, which will run you $25 for shirts and $50 for sweatshirts).
The WcDonald’s Immersive Dining Experience is open March 9 and 10 from 11am to 8pm; reservations are required. Find it at 8505 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
UPDATE: When we first published this story, we were initially told a limited number of same-day spots would be available—and then a representative for the experience let us know that walk-ups won’t be accepted. But now it turns out that walk-ups *will* be accepted to fill the seats of any reservation holders who arrive late. We’ve updated this story accordingly.