About 15 years ago the first McDonald’s location built in Boise was razed and a new one was built right next door. The old location remained open right up until they were ready to move in to the new store. It was odd to drive by and see two McDonald’s stores side by side (should’ve gotten a picture of such an oddity). After the old store was torn down the ground was paved over to serve as an expanded parking lot for the new store.
just a WAG, but I have been told by architects and planners that commercial buildings are now designed with a finite lifetime. All the plumbing, electrical, materials etc are speced to last a certain amount of time. When the time is up, the building will be torn down as it is no longer expected to be economical to operate. Kind of like cars and the opposite of houses. Most buildings in the past were designed and built to last as long as possible. Now people realize that is not efficient. Tastes and needs will change, why put up expensive long-lasting components when the need for them is projected to go away? Better to just time it all and when the “warrenty” is up, start over. Not sure that is in fact done, but this thread about McDs makes it sound likely.
Yeah, but not until after first remodeling it as a dry-cleaners. I am not sure whose bright idea that was, but I didn’t know anyone that wanted to go near the building, let alone in it. I was happy to see it torn down.
Exactly which McD’s are you refering to dropzone? Someone suggested it could be to improve the drive-thru layout; that seems likely. Could it be to re-layout the kitchen to accomodate new equipment? One of the recent McD’s CEOs was lamenting that their food in Thailand resturants was better than the food in the US resturants because the equipment was more modern and used better processes. Could it be that they are upgrading the local gear and in the process figured to give the whole layout a face-lift?
This thread reminded me of the Burger King across from the Arlington Racetrack. They built a new Burger King right next door and moved into that. Of course, the first Burger King is next to a McDonalds, so the street has a McD’s, an ex-BK, and a new BK. Almost as much fun as the stripmall that has a Subway, Quiznos, and a Jimmy John’s.
Interesting. I did accounting for a guy who owns 15 McD’s around town. It’s very common for stores to be “re-imaged” every few years, a capital project whose costs are split 50/50 with the corporation in the case of franchises. Costs around $250K bust can vary quite a bit depending on how much is cosmetic and how much is equipment or architectural. A new store is going to cost a lot more than a re-image so I can’t see it as a cost question. Both are capitalized.
The only time we talked about tearing down a store to rebuild it was because of the way traffic patterns had changed in a store’s location. The way the area had grown up around the store made using the drive-thru inconvenient and was hurting business, so the plan was to tear it out and rebuild it turned around 90 degrees. No changes other than re-imaging it at the same time. I can’t think of a reason other than structural problems to rebuild a store in the same placewith the same floorplan. It would be pretty hard to get the corporation to sign off on the costs. They like keeping their money.
I’m going to the company holiday party Saturday (I helped them out when their current accountant took medical leave so I scored an invitation) and I think I’ll run the question by my old boss.
Roosevelt & Stewart in Lombard. I think it’s Stewart. Lived in this town 25 years and it’s always just been “the street that goes past the McDonalds,” except when it’s “the street that goes past the town hall; no, not Wilson; the north-south one.”
Went through it this morning ($1 Egg McMuffins) and the only change was an additional lane out in the lot. And they took out the deadly speed bumps. (thinking) And the deadlier exit onto Stewart where you could get nailed by someone turning off Roosevelt. The lady said they put in a fireplace and sofas inside, too. IOW, like in Hampshire’s link.
That Mac’s was a vital part of my formative years. I think it’s Store #3. Back in the day it was a walk-up that went through all the changes CalMeacham described. The last I saw it was on building four (not counting when they enclosed the walkup area in '59 so they could stay open in the winter) but it’s been a couple years.
Seven of them. One rumor had it that company owner Frank Portillo’s wife was about to testify in some case and this was supposed to be a warning of some sort but The Guys don’t make that big a mess with total innocents. This was plain ol’ garden variety psychos.
So, does the corporate tax code encourage tearing down/replacing a building? are the deprecioation write-offs making this worthwhile? I agree, buildings for commerce are built incredibly cheap-take shopping malls. Under the marble tile facades and glass fronts are just concret blocks and pored cement. I also thiink malls are built for easy demolition-they tore down a strip mall near where i live-there was nothing too it!
One of the little strip malls near us had two separate Mac’s convenience stores side-by-side for several years.
It’s the same for beautiful, multi-million$ homes in Florida.
One of the McDonalds near where I grew up in NJ was actually remodeled. They added a huge rectangular playground “building” to the front. It was hideous.
When I lived in College Station, there was what appeared to be an old Pizza Hut that, for a while, had been a camera shop (I think a Ritz Camera, but I’m not sure). Now the Ritz Camera is accross the street in a stripmall (A very NICE stripmall, with rooftop parking and an elevator, mind you), and the old building is just sitting derelict, with the “One Hour Photo” stuff still painted on the windows, and various murals on the walls of various landmarks around the Texas A&M campus.
This place is occasionally referred to as the “Photo Hut”
dropzone, CaveMike, are you sure it was the BURGER KING that moved next door? I could swear it was the McDonald’s. Cause it goes Old McDonald’s (still standing, now an odd looking place that I THINK is some kind of restaurant), New McDonald’s, Burger King (as you’re going west on 14). I was just there yesterday on an errand and stopped for an Iced Tea while on the way home (I live at Smith and 14, basically - where the Brown’s was.)
Ha ha - I am totally not sure. When I posted, I was debating with myself whether it was two McD’s or two BK’s and I couldn’t remember clearly. I should have gone to google maps because I think you’re right. The McDonald’s is in the middle, so it must be the duped one. I guess I am usually distracted by that weird trapezoid building next door.
That’s a lot of work to fill your McDonald’s with Chipotle discards. Clearly they are hiding something and I suggest further research (and $1 breakfast items).
Portillo’s bigest crime was hanging not one, but two, autographed pictures of Jim Belushi. But based on the suspects, it doesn’t seem like anything more than twisted high-schoolers.
And don’t ask me, I moved out of AH in 1976 and am rarely back! But if the new building is in the middle then the old Mac’s is the one to the east. From the air I’d say the one on the east is an old Mac’s and the new one’s lot took the old one’s west lot–it was symmetrical way back when. But back then I recall there being a house on the corner, not the business Google shows.
Outside of breakfast hours the special is $1 Quarter Pounders.
The Portillo who hangs too many Jim Belushi pictures is Dick, not Frank. Between the two of them they dominate Chicago non-pizza cuisine. Not the best, necessarily, but they’re everywhere. Okay, it’s hard to beat Brown’s chicken and, especially, livers, but Portillo dogs and beefs are generic. And while I can associate both Belushis with food the connection of Sean Hayes to hot dogs is not one I care to contemplate, but there’s getting to be as many pics of him on the wall as Jim.
Oh, and Frank claims to have developed his beef separately from his brother. I tried it and it’s pretty good, but how can you wreck a brisket boiled with garlic and salt for a couple hours then sliced real thin?
While the new store may look identical to the OP, there may be many changes that are not apparent to the casual observer. Perhaps the distance between “Window One” and “Window Two” was increased by a carlength or two. Maybe the kitchen layout has been improved. Lots of changes could have been made that the customer might not even register.
McD’s does both remodels and replacements. They replaced a store here in LA at Sunset and Santa Monica. The new store is much nicer, the parking lot is better, etc. etc. Another store, a “Mini Mac” at Victory and Burbank Blvd. is getting a major remodel.
What is perplexing to me is how the McD’s across from Hollywood High managed to go out of business. I mean, you are across the street from a HIGH SCHOOL.