Waltham McDonald’s renovation promises modern dining experience, extended hours
At the intersection of Route 20 and Grant Street in Waltham sits a fenced-off plot of land filled with sand, gravel and construction vehicles. A tall pole crowned with the McDonald’s logo is the only remnant of the restaurant that used to be there. On the fence’s south side hangs a sign that reads, “Golden arches are coming back soon to Waltham!”
The McDonald’s at 789 Main St. had its last day of sales on July 6 and is currently closed for a complete rebuild. The restaurant is set to reopen sometime this fall.
“This project has been in the works one way or another for close to a decade,” said 12-year owner-operator Rich Hogan. “It’s really exciting to be at the point where we put the foundation in this week.”
Hogan said that the aesthetic and technological improvements to the Waltham McDonald’s will offer customers a state-of-the-art dining experience.
The drive-thru will feature two lanes and LED menu boards. The building’s interior and exterior will have a more modern look than the previous restaurant, including the availability of kiosks inside rather than registers.
“Kiosks give us more order channels, and a number of customers prefer going to kiosks rather than going up to a register like our mother and father did at old McDonald’s,” said Hogan.
Hogan said he’s most excited about the extended closing hours, which will be moved from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. He has seen a huge increase in McDelivery orders over the years across the 23 McDonald’s restaurants that he owns and operates, and he believes that the new late-night hours will lead to more such orders, especially on weekend nights. The new closing time resembles that of the Wendy’s at 806 Main St., which is open to 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. throughout the week.
Hogan said now that the restaurant’s foundation has been laid, construction will move quickly this summer ahead of a reopening date sometime this fall. A specific date will be announced as construction nears completion. Marceau Construction, based in Methuen, is executing the rebuild.
“This is not just a building,” said Hogan. “This is about delivering a modern-day experience to our customers. I’m so excited to be able to do that.”
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I appreciate the broad coverage by the Waltham Times, even covering something as unimportant as the renovation of a Micky D’s. I loved the quotes from the spokesperson:
“a number of customers prefer going to kiosks rather than going up to a register like our mother and father did at old McDonald’s”.
Perhaps that number is .01 percent of the customers — Kiosks only replace human jobs. When did we start preferring interaction with machines over people?
““This is not just a building. This is about delivering a modern-day experience to our customers.”
Clearly it’s not about the food.