You may soon be able to order a McDonald’s burger and fries in the metaverse and have it delivered to your door in real life.
The fast-food giant filed 10 trademark applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on February 4, covering both McDonald’s and McCafe for a virtual restaurant to deliver food in the metaverse and in real life as the company tries to join the virtual reality frenzy.
The trademark applications cover “virtual food and beverage products,” including NFTs (non-fungible tokens) “operating a virtual restaurant online featuring home delivery,” as well as trademarked events and entertainment services under the McDonald’s and McCafe brands for “online actual and virtual concerts”.
Posting on Twitter, trademark lawyer Josh Gerben said: “You are hanging out in the metaverse and get hungry. You don’t have to put down your headset. You walk into a McDonald’s and place an order. It arrives at your door a little while later”.
He told Forbes the USPTO will likely approve the trademarks, though the review process often takes eight to nine months.
McDonald’s is not the first food brand to make steps into the virtual world. On February 3, American bakery chain Panera Bread filed for a trademark for a “Paneraverse”. Similar to McDonald’s, it includes NFTs, virtual entertainment services, and a virtual reward program.
For the moment, the metaverse is mostly being used for gaming and is not yet fully developed. But brands are already mapping out what place they will hold in the virtual reality world.
Companies have jumped on the metaverse bandwagon since Facebook announced it would change its parent name to Meta last October in line with its vision for a virtual reality world where you can work and socialise.
Microsoft, Gucci, Walmart and Nike are among the brands that have also announced plans to enter the metaverse.
