Musical Food Trays

McDonald's 'McTrax' Tray Liners are Smartphone-Connected Music Stations

As well as serving as a protective sheets for fast food trays, the newest tray liners from McDonald's boast some entertaining qualities.

'McTrax' is a paper placement that can be connected to one's smartphone so that with a companion app, fast food consumers can also become music producers. With McTrax, a diner at McDonald's can press the mat's conductive ink buttons in order to play synths, special effects and make their own voice recordings. The 26 interactive points on the paper sheet are powered by just a small battery and circuit boat.

Other fast food brands have also experimented with ideas that are similar to McTrax from McDonald's. For instance, KFC launched the Tray Typer keyboard and Giraffas turned its fast food trays into virtual soccer fields for the World Cup.

Smartphone-connected Food Trays
The trend of integrating smartphones with food trays opens up opportunities for interactive dining experiences and personalized content delivery.
Interactive Fast Food Experiences
The trend of incorporating interactive elements into fast food dining provides opportunities for brands to engage with their customers in new and unique ways.
Alternative Uses for Fast Food Packaging
The trend of repurposing fast food packaging as interactive platforms showcases the potential for innovative and sustainable design solutions.

Who This Affects Most

Fast Food
The fast food industry can leverage smartphone-connected food trays to enhance customer experiences and drive customer loyalty.
Music Production
The music production industry can explore collaborations with fast food chains to create interactive platforms that allow aspiring musicians to create and share music.
Packaging and Printing
The packaging and printing industry can tap into the trend of repurposing fast food packaging to design innovative and interactive products for various applications.
SCORE
5.7 out of 10
GENDER
50% Men50% Women
MARKETTop markets: Europe
GENERATION
  • Millennial
  • Gen X
  • Gen Z (primary audience)
  • Gen Alpha (primary audience)
POPULARITY
Popularity 74%
Activity 88%
Freshness 8%

Solutions for innovators working at the edge of change. We help transform emerging ideas into practical, durable solutions by combining strategic thinking, creative exploration, and hands-on execution.

Trends © 2026 Trend Hunter Inc. All Rights Reserved.
LinkedIn Instagram X