South Atherton McDonald’s to Close Temporarily in January

When you’re having a Big Mac attack next winter you may need to adjust your dining plans. The McDonald’s restaurant located at 2167 S. Atherton St. in Hills Plaza is set to be demolished in January. But don’t worry, it will be replaced with a gleaming new set of golden arches, according to manager Brett Vance.

Vance says the current 36-year old facility is showing its age. It will be replaced by a new McDonald’s that will be significantly updated, with more kitchen and eating space. Drive-thru improvements are also long overdue.

“Initially, the plan was to close this May so we could open again in the fall,” Vance said. “But because of the summertime Route 322 travel, we decided it would be best to wait until January to lessen the economic impact.”

Vance says that it will take three months to rebuild and open, hopefully before summer 2014. The decision to build a new, more modern restaurant was made by the national McDonald’s chain.

There are several other McDonald’s restaurants in the area including one on North Atherton Street, one on East College Avenue in downtown State College and one at the Nittany Mall. The McDonald’s at the Nittany Mall was torn down and rebuilt this past year.

The dozens of employees at the South Atherton location won’t lose their jobs, Vance says. Those employees will be spread out at other McDonald’s around the area so they won’t miss out on hours.

Although the South Atherton McDonald’s doesn’t draw a large student crowd, football weekends are usually busy and many local “coffee clubs” meet there every morning. Vance says that by starting the project in January, the location can still cater to the football crowd and minimize revenue losses.

Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that the first McDonald’s drive-thru was created in 1975 near an Arizona military base — to serve soldiers who weren’t permitted to get out of their cars while wearing fatigues?