With drive-thru accounting for 70% of sales during the pandemic, the chain said it will make enhancements to drive thru lanes. One test includes designating some parking spaces at the front of the restaurant for digital orders.  

Technology will enable the restaurant to start preparing orders as soon consumers are nearby a restaurant. (Note: Taco Bell already does this with geo-fencing tech.)  

The Chicago-based chain also plans to pilot a drive thru express lane for orders made on the company’s app.

“It lets customers skip the line and get their food even faster,” Mason Smoot, Chief Restaurant Officer for McDonald’s USA, said during Monday’s investor event.

Smoot said food might even be delivered to customers via a conveyor belt.

"In combination, we think these initiatives could reach more than 10,000 restaurants across the U.S. and [international] markets,” he said, adding that the experience “has the potential to be truly transformative.”

Over the next two years, the company plans to roll out new packaging designs across all global markets. The new look features retro-style graphics inspired by the brand’s core menu items.

The Big Mac container is illustrated with “dotted” sesame seeds on the box.  The Quarter Pounder with Cheese box features a melting cheese design.

“We’re excited to start rolling out bright and beautiful new designs around the world that feel modern, fresh and fun, and extend our new award-winning visual identity to our customers’ hands,” the company said.

On Monday, the company generated a lot of confusion when it said it would be introducing a plant-based menu dubbed McPlant.

The new platform will include foods such as plant-based burgers, chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches crafted exclusively for McDonald's by McDonald's, the company said. The “by McDonald’s” statement suggested to some that the brand was severing its ties with Beyond Meat, a plant-based company the chain has been working with since last year.

McDonald’s clarified details later in the week about McPlant.

The company is not manufacturing its own plant-based products. The company will still rely on suppliers to develop McPlant menu items. However, McDonald’s has not yet announced which companies it plans to work with for its plant-based menu.

Beyond Meat did not return a request for comment. On Tuesday, CEO Ethan Brown told CNBC that he believes Beyond Meat’s “relationship with McDonald’s is very strong.”

McDonald’s said it would innovate on its McCafe program, where it is the No. 2 coffee brand in the world by servings.

The experience would likely vary by market.

“Coffee is not one size fits all. But it represents a massive opportunity to grow everywhere, including here in the U.S., Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA, said during Monday’s virtual event.

When asked for more details, McDonald’s cited Erlinger’s prepared remarks.

“We know this will take time. But delivering hotter, faster, fresher coffee more consistently has huge growth potential — and we intend to capture this opportunity.”

Building on the success of the Travis Scott meal offer, McDonald’s said fans can expect more “famous order” meal promotions.

The recent celebrity meal promotions generated strong engagement on the brand’s social media channels especially among younger consumers.  

“We're getting younger customers to rediscover classic menu items like the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Big Mac,” Morgan Flatley, chief marketing officer in the U.S., said during the event.

The company said it plans to invest more in social media marketing to drive sales. That strategy has proven to be successful with other brands such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Taco Bell.

McDonald’s plans to introduce next year a new loyalty program that offers consumers points for food, more personalization and direct delivery.

A version of the loyalty program will roll out as a test in the Phoenix area in the coming weeks.

Also coming next year: a premium chicken sandwich.

Chicken is at the heart of the company’s growth strategy and represents a significant opportunity for McDonald’s, which wants to build a chicken platform instead just one product, Erlinger said during Monday’s virtual event.

“Our goal is to strengthen our credibility in chicken,” Erlinger said. “Developing a reputation for great chicken represents one of our highest aspirations.”

In addition to introducing a new chicken sandwich next year, Erlinger said the company plans to develop line extensions from popular core items such as Chicken McNuggets and McChicken. The latter is a value sandwich that is one of the “best-selling entry-level sandwiches” for McDonald’s, he said.