McDonald’s works with iPass to extend restaurant wi-fi to more customers

With wireless fidelity available in 400 of its U.S. restaurants, McDonald’s Corp. has made wi-fi available to 400,000 additional consumers who subscribe to wireless Internet access through iPass Inc., it said today. Although still in pilot stage, wi-fi is having a better impact than initially expected on customer traffic. "It has far exceeded our expectations from both a qualitative and quantitative view," says Greg Waring, director of business development for McDonald’s.

Waring says McDonald’s will continue to test wi-fi in the 400 locations before deciding whether to roll it out further into the fast-food chain. But he says that, so far, making wireless access to the web available to customers appears to go well with McDonald’s overall strategy of providing a convenient place to eat.

McDonald’s currently provides wi-fi to restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area; Boise, ID; Portland, OR; Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle and New York.