The future….is here. Sort of. Earlier this month, McDonald’s announced its plan to expand its “Create Your Taste” platform to over 2,000 U.S. locations, bringing the interactive sandwich-making kiosks to about one in every seven McDonald’s restaurants.

So what is the “Create Your Taste” deal anyway? Probably one of the more creative fast food pursuits thought of to this day, “Create Your Taste” is a sandwich-customizing, tablet-like kiosk that lets customers avoid from the counter.

In the program, customers can choose whatever they’d like for their sandwich, including: type of meat (beef or chicken), bun type, cheese, toppings, sauces, etc. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well this system doesn’t come without its pitfalls.

The new burger software requires a whopping seven minutes to complete an order in its entirety, which is next to an eternity when it comes to the typical portrayal of McDonald’s.

Also, the customizable burgers are for dine-in only, so there goes the quick drive-thru stops on the way home from class.

A last major issue is one that could make or break this new program, and that’s price. These sandwiches are entirely customized and, with that, comes a higher price tag. For a full meal – fries and a drink included – it’s going to cost you upwards of eight dollars, which is a bit pricey in comparison to the Dollar and/or Value Menu.

On the flipside, these customizable sandwiches are portrayed (and may actually be…who knows, honestly) as healthier “eating out” options. This is something that menu developers at McDonald’s were wanting to address. Sales figures for younger crowds seem to be on the decline as that demographic moves towards seemingly healthier options (Panera, Subway, etc.) The customizable sandwiches are served in an almost gourmet fashion, making it seem less traditional McDonald’s-ish.

The good and the bad, the right and the wrong. We’ll see how this ends up working out for the world’s largest fast food chain. As USA Today put it, this is “arguably McDonald’s most significant menu change since the roll out of breakfast more than 40 years ago.” It’s a big overhaul, and I’m sure we’ll all be holding our breath for both the results of the menu expansion and for the customizable sandwich software to hit Ames.