Former McDonald's stands

[lepidopteran]

This small building on Telegraph Road in Redford Township, Michigan was opened as a drive-through-only McDonald's back in the early 1980s.  It had signage that identified it as a "Mini-Mac" and I've never seen one like it anywhere else.

There was also a Mini Mac in Toledo on Dorr St. near the university.  That entire block was razed some time ago as it was swallowed by a new section campus.  I also saw one once in the DFW area.

An example of the Mini Mac sign may be found here https://flic.kr/p/wzaf1S.  GSV indicates that while it still appears to be walk-up and drive-thru only, the sign has since been modified.

There are also a small number of classic-design McD's with only a walk-up window and a drive-thru, such as this one https://flic.kr/p/2ghEdck.  The locations in Dublin and Gahanna, OH have double drive-thrus, with approaches in opposite directions so you don't have to fumble with a passenger-side window.

[plain]

I forgot about this one in Lawrenceville, VA. It actually wasn't that old when it closed (opened in the late 1990's or early 2000's). I was shocked especially since the next closest one (or any fast food joint for that matter) is 15 miles away.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rrHWW1sc3E6B5uBg7

Images old & latest are from GSV

Interesting. The spot you linked shows it as it is now, closed, but if you move just once towards the building it goes back to the older SV from when it was still open. The older SV says 2019 on the copyright, but unless the closing was very, very sudden (the parking lot was restriped at some point) it looks to be a bit older as the Food Lion in the background had its logo updated in the interim.

It closed in 2015. I'm not sure why that older imagery said 2019. I've encountered a couple of issues with the dates on GSV as well

[PaulRAnderson]

There was a McDonald's in my town that became an Italian restaurant after McDonald's closed.  It's soon to become a retail marijuana store.

[PHLBOS]

Another Lynn, MA one along the Lynnway (MA 1A); Currently, the Hacienda Corona.

In Essington (Tinicum Township, Delaware County) PA along PA 291; straddled between the westbound (N. Gov. Printz Blvd.) & eastbound (Gov. Printz Blvd.) lanes.  This one shut down between 2012 and 2015.

[ErmineNotyours]

Renton, Washington.  December 2007.  They did rebuild, but why is the flag still raised when no one is inside?



There's a rumor that it could be a grease fire.

[spooky]

North Kingstown, RI. Now a coin & gun shop.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6181956,-71.4581305,3a,84.3y,236.34h,86.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sj2mDjcYefqURSEXE08rD7w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This location was not replaced; the nearest McDs is approximately 5 miles away in East Greenwich, but existed before the NK location shut down.

South Attleboro, MA. Now a sit-down restaurant with a bar, although the entry area and drive-thru still evoke McD's. I believe they use the drive-thru for take-out business.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9117413,-71.3625205,3a,75y,320.85h,76.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNVNuBNENX-UC_3pLx7yN3A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This location was replaced by a new location less than 1/2 mile to the north.

[RobbieL2415]

I've never seen a McDonald's close in my area. I've seen Burger Kings close. I saw all the Pizza Huts close. I saw the Ground Rounds close. But no golden arches.

[spooky]

Burger Kings have been closing with reckless abandon around here. Given their poor standard of service locally, it's no surprise.

[kevinb1994]

Burger Kings have been closing with reckless abandon around here. Given their poor standard of service locally, it's no surprise.

It ain't what it was when the first location opened over on Beach Blvd. (US 90) back in 1953 (also the same year the Mathews Bridge not too far from it opened), when it was known as Insta-Burger King.

[Flint1979]

There was a Burger King that closed here not too long ago. It closed due to the lease expiring and they didn't renew it and this decision was made over a year ago.

Location for people that love looking at Google Maps.

3319 E. Holland Rd.
Saginaw, MI 48601

Another one on the west side of Saginaw closed several years ago and was torn down to become an auto parts store. The Coco Loco (originally a Burger King) located at

4002 Bay Road
Saginaw, MI 48603

So I've seen Burger King's close, I've seen Wendy's close, I've seen KFC close, I've seen Arby's close but I can't recall ever seeing a McDonald's close other than the one that is now Woody's Twister that I mentioned earlier.

[jeffandnicole]

We have a number of Burger Kings that closed recently around here, that are all going to be converted to Taco Bells. I'm guessing the franchisee owner is the same for each of them.

[JREwing78]

The McDonald's in downtown Houghton, MI bolted for larger environs on the commercial strip along M-26. It's now a home decor/espresso shop. https://goo.gl/maps/G5rQ8iaeTWQGg1GW6

[rickmastfan67]

We have a number of Burger Kings that closed recently around here, that are all going to be converted to Taco Bells. I'm guessing the franchisee owner is the same for each of them.

One of my local BK's just converted to a Taco Bell as well.  Was kinda shocked at the change (well, mainly because I hadn't been past it since before C19).  Crazy thing is, it was the only BK I know of locally that had a Coca-Cola Freestyle as well. lol.  At least my Wendy's have them (even though I haven't been able to use one in ages due to C19 as well, lol).

[adt1982]

Here's a former McDonald's in Terre Haute, IN.  It ceased to be a McDonald's back in the mid 1990s.

https://goo.gl/maps/rqHXRsRW3dPtiMEs5

[GCrites]

So I've seen Burger King's close, I've seen Wendy's close, I've seen KFC close, I've seen Arby's close but I can't recall ever seeing a McDonald's close other than the one that is now Woody's Twister that I mentioned earlier.

The first McDonald's I ever saw just straight-up close without a replacement was the one located at E. 5th Ave. and I-71 in Columbus, Ohio in the early '90s. I remember going in there and seeing that they had done nothing to upgrade the inside since the early to mid '70s. Everything was trimmed in a dark bird's-eye maple and it was quite dour inside during a time when newer McDonald'ses were pink and light gray inside with much brighter lighting. I don't know if it closed due to poor sales on its own or due to the direct connection from I-71 NB to 5th Ave. being removed as a part the construction of I-670 at the time. I'm thinking the former since the timelines don't quite match up.

The building is still there https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9862377,-82.9840633,3a,37.5y,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1ssxDn0UnyM_r0f3eACf6kQw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DsxDn0UnyM_r0f3eACf6kQw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D88.24391%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

[Sctvhound]

Burger King is down to 8 locations in Charleston. They used to have close to 20. Most of their locations were dirty and had poor reviews.

[cl94]

There are quite a few former McDonald's locations in New York. Some of the more interesting ones:

Whitehall, NY. Closed in 2015, sat vacant for 4 years until being repurposed as a butcher shop.
Cheektowaga, NY. Officially relocated a few miles away. This was an interesting one, because it had a unique playplace while it was open.
Old Forge, NY. Closed after the 2006 season. I specify "season" because this was a seasonal location that was only open for half of the year. There were only a small handful of seasonal locations in the country, with New York being able to claim 2.
Canton, NY. Closed in 2015, may still be vacant. This location was one of the rare remaining standalones with no drive thru.

Until last year, there was a closed McDonald's standing in Lake George. This location was notable for being seasonal and thus closed 6-7 months of the year. It was also one of the few (if only) standalone locations with a drive thru but no dedicated parking.

[kevinb1994]

There are quite a few former McDonald's locations in New York. Some of the more interesting ones:

Whitehall, NY. Closed in 2015, sat vacant for 4 years until being repurposed as a butcher shop.
Cheektowaga, NY. Officially relocated a few miles away. This was an interesting one, because it had a unique playplace while it was open.
Old Forge, NY. Closed after the 2006 season. I specify "season" because this was a seasonal location that was only open for half of the year. There were only a small handful of seasonal locations in the country, with New York being able to claim 2.
Canton, NY. Closed in 2015, may still be vacant. This location was one of the rare remaining standalones with no drive thru.

Until last year, there was a closed McDonald's standing in Lake George. This location was notable for being seasonal and thus closed 6-7 months of the year. It was also one of the few (if only) standalone locations with a drive thru but no dedicated parking.

I remember the Lake George one, went up there with family several years ago.

[SectorZ]

Burger King is down to 8 locations in Charleston. They used to have close to 20. Most of their locations were dirty and had poor reviews.

That's amazing that they could have twenty. My town is a quarter of Charleston's population and has two, and has my entire life, so the eight now sounds about right. I know being a city attracts people but I imagine not much for fast food joints.

[EpicRoadways]

For a brief period, Monticello, MN had two McDonalds restaurants. The older of the two is still operational (and was remodeled or maybe even fully rebuilt around the time the second location closed in the mid-2010s). A mile down the road, the newer, c. 2007 McDonalds lasted about seven or eight years before it closed down. It's still standing but has no evidence of it ever having been a McDonalds aside from the building design itself. If I had to guess, a combination of a poor location and unsustainable support for two McDonalds in a town of 12,000 had something to do with it failing so soon after opening. It does, however, surprise me that nothing has taken over the vacant building.

[rickmastfan67]

It's still standing but has no evidence of it ever having been a McDonalds aside from the building design itself.

Per Sat & StreetView, the distinctive 'Drive Thru' text & arrows are still on the ground.  Only McDonald's does it that way.  So, that's a little more evidence.  Plus the evidence of a split in the line for ordering.  Only seen McDonald's do that, sans one Chick-fil-A where I live.

[Stephane Dumas]

There was a Burger King that closed here not too long ago. It closed due to the lease expiring and they didn't renew it and this decision was made over a year ago.

So I've seen Burger King's close, I've seen Wendy's close, I've seen KFC close, I've seen Arby's close but I can't recall ever seeing a McDonald's close other than the one that is now Woody's Twister that I mentioned earlier.

In Sherbrooke, we used to have briefly once an Arby's, KFC aka PFK in French used to have 3 restaurants there and now they're down to one. There was once a Wendy's in Drummondville who switched to Boston Pizza and some did a Facebook page to bring back Wendy's. https://fr-ca.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Pour-le-retour-de-Wendys-à-Drummondville-589487561070398/

[briantroutman]

Most of the responses to this thread seem to be of the common '70s/'80s mansard type.

What I find more interesting (and seems to be more in line with the OP's mention of McDonald's stands) are the '50s/'60s walkup type–the ones with one giant arch on each side of the building, a steeply pitched roof, and no indoor seating. These seem to be rather rare, as many of these buildings were apparently demolished and replace on-site with more modern buildings (as McDonald's often does now).

But I do occasionally run into them–I recall noticing one along US 80 in Marshall, Texas. Subsequent owners awkwardly added a drive-through window to the side and reconfigured the front to allow a small ordering area inside. The arches were removed many years ago, but small stubs remain in the back of the building, sticking out like stumpy horns.

[kevinb1994]

Most of the responses to this thread seem to be of the common '70s/'80s mansard type.

What I find more interesting (and seems to be more in line with the OP's mention of McDonald's stands) are the '50s/'60s walkup type–the ones with one giant arch on each side of the building, a steeply pitched roof, and no indoor seating. These seem to be rather rare, as many of these buildings were apparently demolished and replace on-site with more modern buildings (as McDonald's often does now).

But I do occasionally run into them–I recall noticing one along US 80 in Marshall, Texas. Subsequent owners awkwardly added a drive-through window to the side and reconfigured the front to allow a small ordering area inside. The arches were removed many years ago, but small stubs remain in the back of the building, sticking out like stumpy horns.

That's precisely what I referred to upthread-the style of which is hard to find nowadays!

[GCrites]

^I hated that kind when I was a kid, though. No playground and had to eat in the car (no cupholders in cars then). There was only one that I know of in my area (North Hamilton Road just south of Broad Street, Columbus Ohio) that got replaced in the late '80s/early '90s with another one on the same site. The "new" one is gone now, too:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9741072,-82.8742026,3a,75y,270h,91.55t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5iWd8x2prvZhpGtgaJ8Qew!2e0!5s20190901T000000!7i16384!8i8192

If you look at several years, you can see that the area around the site has been through a lot of changes recently, with more to come.