MCDONALD’S customers have been crying out after the confirmation of a restaurant demolition.
The closure marks the end of the last remaining “classic” location in one state.
McDonald’s has demolished a longtime location and fans are crying out[/caption]
While some might think of the giant golden arches going through the building and advertisements of 15-cent burgers as “classic” McDonald’s, it’s 2024.
That means “classic” McDonald’s to many are the designs millennials will recognize from the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s.
They featured a bright red mansard roof with yellow arches across the top and even a playground area before most were eliminated.
McDonald’s later began modernizing and moving away from the designs and committed $6 billion to the cause for around 8,700 locations in 2018, per Food Business News.
Still, one “classic” location remained in Middletown, New Jersey, for residents this year.
It was recently torn down, however, and is still awaiting a remodel, per local radio station WKXW.
A notice released to the public in spring noted improvements to the site with expanded parking and updated lighting, landscaping, signs, menu boards, and more.
Kenneth Hullings, the owner and operator of the Middletown location, said he’d been trying to get it re-done for nearly 20 years, according to the Asbury Park Press.
“We have been in discussions with the corporation, believe it or not, since 2005 to get this restaurant remodeled and make it appropriate for the town, make it better for the residents and also make it better for us,” Hullings told the outlet.
The Middletown location was first constructed in 1971.
BRING IT BACK
It remains unclear when the renovations will be completed, and some customers have mixed feelings about the change.
A saddened local argued that the McDonald’s location would go “from vibrant colors to gloom and doom colors” with renovations in a thread on Facebook.
“I miss it already, I hate driving by and seeing it gone and the construction,” another wrote.
“My heart will go on,” a third added.
While McDonald’s has redesigned and modernized most of its now 14,300 restaurants in the United States over time, one has been kept almost the same for over 50 years.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain’s affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing from its parent company which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Red Lobster: The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy in May and shuttered over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant shuttered all of its locations over the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Shuttered a location in California after five decades in business due to financial struggles.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years the restaurant shuttered one location in Jacksonville, Florida, with no reason given.
- México Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its final day after 52 years and finally shuttered its doors for good on July 31.
- American Dream Pizza: Closed all of its locations in Oregon in July.
- Tender Greens: The Southern California-based chain filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, & Grill: Abruptly shuttered 18 locations in July due to a family feud.
- Firehouse Subs: Shuttered a location in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State over the summer citing “unforeseen circumstances”
- Taco Time: The Taco Bell rival shuttered a location in Seattle after 50 years following a death in the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: Shuttered a location in Burlington, Massachusetts in July, reigniting bankruptcy fears from 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has shuttered over 40 locations so far this year with the owner of the one outlet blaming vandalism.
- Starbucks: The chain shuttered one of its most iconic locations in New York City after almost three decades with fans blaming crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain shuttered over 20 locations across the US and Canada after a franchisee lost money after being a victim of fraud.
- IHOP: A restaurant in New Hampshire shut its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after over a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain shuttered a location in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years citing overexpansion issues.
- KFC: Closed the remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois all on the same day on August 19. In total, it closed six locations across four cities in Illinois.
- Rusty Bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed it would officially leave Florida as it announced a handful of closures including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Buca di Beppo: The Olive Garden rival abruptly shuttered 44 locations across five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- Red Robin: Announced the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location on August 25 after 15 years in business.
- Noodles & Company: Shuttered dozens of locations due to their contribution to around $2 million worth of losses.
- Shoney’s: The classic American-style food chain founded in 1947 officially exited Ohio after three decades of business as it reduced its operational footprint.
- Homegrown: The sandwich chain based in Seattle announced the closure of 10 locations leaving 150 employees in the lurch.
- World of Beer: Filed for bankruptcy after closing 14 outlets.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Shuttered a location in New Jersey in July, leaving just two in the state, followed by the closure of a Baltimore location in August.
- Hart House: Shutterd all four locations in California in September just two years after the vegan fast-food restaurant chain was launched by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
LONGTIME STAPLE
That would be the oldest remaining McDonald’s from when Richard and Maurice McDonald started what would become a worldwide franchise after the involvement of Ray Kroc.
It resides in Downey, California, about 13 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, and is a major tourist attraction, per Eater LA.
The restaurant was just the third ever opened by the McDonald brothers.
McDonald’s has caused commotion among customers nationwide for other reasons recently.
Its Happy Meal toy partnership with Crocs caused some controversy, and some were left confused by the “flaps on the new McFlurry packaging.
After promises of pricing changes, it also released a $5 meal deal earlier this summer.
