McDonald's Has Opened A New, Minimally Branded McCafé Concept In Australia Called 'The Corner'

Is McDonald's looking to take over the role of the ubiquitous coffee shop on every corner, à la Starbucks?

The company looks to be testing out the possibility of a coffee shop-oriented rebranding, given that the burger giant has just reopened one of its McCafé locations as "The Corner," with no outward sign that it belongs to the McDonald's corporation except for the word "McCafé" in small print beneath the new name.

As we've previously reported, global sales for McDonald's have been on the decline in recent years, and the company announced not long ago that it would drop eight menu items (but not including the Big Mac) in favor of faster service.

Now, the company looks to be testing consumer interest in a more upscale version of the McDonald's McCafé.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company has also reached out to "several ad agencies and media companies" in search of new creative ideas that might draw in the mysterious millennial, whose mind (and wallet) have proved elusive for McDonald's.