McDonald’s rolls out exercise bikes for dine-in customers in China

McDonald’s is testing out a new item not on its menu but available to dine-in customers: exercise bikes.

The corporation confirmed to FOX Television Stations that it’s trying out "The Green Charging Bike" at two locations in China. The Jieyang Wanda restaurant in Guangdong Province rolled out the bikes in September 2021. The New Hualian restaurant location in Shanghai followed suit. 

The company said the bikes are designed to inspire more green behaviors as customers enjoy their McDonald’s favorites. The bikes generate electricity to power electronic devices like mobile phones. Company leaders say it’s part of China's "Upcycle for Good" project, an initiative focused on creating products with plastic parts from recycled materials.

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The company said it will continue to solicit feedback from customers before expanding the program to other cities. 

McDonald's has rolled out exercise bikes at two locations in China that can be used to charge electronic devices while customers eat. (Credit: McDonald's)

A viral TikTok video of customers biking in China garnered more than 2.2 million likes. 

McDonald’s has aimed to provide customers with healthier options over the years. 

In 2018, the fast-food chain took cheeseburgers and chocolate milk off its Happy Meal menu in an effort to cut down on the calories, sodium, saturated fat and sugar that kids consume at its restaurants.

The Happy Meal, which has been around for nearly 40 years, has long been a target of health advocates and parents who link it to childhood obesity. McDonald’s has made many tweaks over the years, including cutting the size of its fries and adding fruit. Most recently, it swapped out its apple juice for one that has less sugar.

In 2019, McDonald’s started selling the PLT, or the plant, lettuce and tomato burger. McDonald’s said it developed the special recipe using burgers from Beyond Meat, a California-based startup that makes "meat" from pea protein, canola oil, beet juice and other ingredients.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.