September 1, 2018 at 4:53 a.m.
McD’s makeover
Renovation will begin on Tuesday
McD’s makeover
Portland’s Golden Arches will get a makeover.
The McDonald’s restaurant at 618 N. Meridian St. will go through a two-month, $1 million renovation beginning next week.
The renovation is part of a company-wide McDonald’s Vision 2020 plan, which calls for every restaurant in the United States to get upgrades by the end of 2019 with franchisees and the corporation splitting the cost. The process began early last year and involves an investment of $6 billion, including $168 million in Indiana.
“We call it ‘Experience of the Future,’” said Rick Reidenbach, who has been the owner/operator of the Portland location since 1996. “That’s what we’re looking at. What do we do now to make sure that we’re relevant in the future, so we can adapt to what’s coming down? The technology, even with the equipment, is incredible.”
The renovation process will begin Tuesday, with the drive-thru shut down to allow for an exterior makeover. That will include a change to the new McDonald’s look with gray as the predominant color.
New digital menu boards, similar to those currently used inside, will be installed as well. Those will help with ease of updating the menu and changing prices.
“The drive-thru, we actually have to have one of the managers go out and change the prices individually,” Reidenbach said. “That will all be digital.”
The exterior renovation is expected to take about three weeks. At that point — probably Sept. 23 or 24, Reidenbach said — the drive-thru will re-open and the lobby will be closed for interior renovations.
Inside, the restaurant seating area and ordering counter will get a new look, with a seating package selected from a handful approved by McDonald’s corporate. The goal is to create an area that is brighter and more customer friendly.
The McCafé area will be upgraded and expanded, the menu board will be made more compact, the restrooms will be renovated and the kitchen area will be walled off so that it is no longer visible to diners. Also, the ordering counter will be slimmed down with fewer registers.
“We’re going to basically gut the lobby, ceiling tile to floor tile,” Reidenbach said.
The reduction in registers will be made possible because the renovation will also include the installation of a pair of kiosks. The digital ordering stations will each be double-sided, allowing four customers to order at a time. When the lobby re-opens — the completion date is targeted for late October — a staff member will serve as a “guest experience leader” to help customers with the new ordering system.
The McDonald’s restaurant at 618 N. Meridian St. will go through a two-month, $1 million renovation beginning next week.
The renovation is part of a company-wide McDonald’s Vision 2020 plan, which calls for every restaurant in the United States to get upgrades by the end of 2019 with franchisees and the corporation splitting the cost. The process began early last year and involves an investment of $6 billion, including $168 million in Indiana.
“We call it ‘Experience of the Future,’” said Rick Reidenbach, who has been the owner/operator of the Portland location since 1996. “That’s what we’re looking at. What do we do now to make sure that we’re relevant in the future, so we can adapt to what’s coming down? The technology, even with the equipment, is incredible.”
The renovation process will begin Tuesday, with the drive-thru shut down to allow for an exterior makeover. That will include a change to the new McDonald’s look with gray as the predominant color.
New digital menu boards, similar to those currently used inside, will be installed as well. Those will help with ease of updating the menu and changing prices.
“The drive-thru, we actually have to have one of the managers go out and change the prices individually,” Reidenbach said. “That will all be digital.”
The exterior renovation is expected to take about three weeks. At that point — probably Sept. 23 or 24, Reidenbach said — the drive-thru will re-open and the lobby will be closed for interior renovations.
Inside, the restaurant seating area and ordering counter will get a new look, with a seating package selected from a handful approved by McDonald’s corporate. The goal is to create an area that is brighter and more customer friendly.
The McCafé area will be upgraded and expanded, the menu board will be made more compact, the restrooms will be renovated and the kitchen area will be walled off so that it is no longer visible to diners. Also, the ordering counter will be slimmed down with fewer registers.
“We’re going to basically gut the lobby, ceiling tile to floor tile,” Reidenbach said.
The reduction in registers will be made possible because the renovation will also include the installation of a pair of kiosks. The digital ordering stations will each be double-sided, allowing four customers to order at a time. When the lobby re-opens — the completion date is targeted for late October — a staff member will serve as a “guest experience leader” to help customers with the new ordering system.
“We anticipate, in about a year or two, most people are going to order off the kiosk,” said Reidenbach, 65. “It’s pretty simple.”
The final step of the renovation will involve repaving and striping the parking lot.
The only section of the interior that will be left mostly untouched is the kitchen, though Reidenbach said equipment upgrades are in the plans down the road.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will include a magician, is planned for Nov. 3.
The restaurant’s last update was in 2005. That project featured a complete demolition of the original store, which was built in 1974, and included an expansion of the parking lot and the addition of the double drive-thru lane.
McDonald’s Vision 2020 calls for each restaurant to be renovated every 10 years.
“It’s exciting in that you know that top management is not sitting still,” Reidenbach said. “We were a little slow to embrace some of the technology. But we’re going full force now.”
The Portland site is the first of Reidenbach’s seven McDonald’s locations to go through the current renovation process. Sites in Marion and Bluffton are slated for updates later this year, with restaurants in Hartford City, Alexandria and Elwood, and the truck stop at Interstate 69 and Indiana 18 east of Marion, slated for 2019 upgrades.
Reidenbach touted upgrades like the ordering kiosks and the McDonald’s smartphone app as signs that the company is embracing technology in all forms.
“We’re doing what the customer wants. And the customer is changing. The kids today, it’s all here,” he said, pointing to his smartphone. “You don’t want to become the Woolworths or the Sears of the industry. You’ve got to change. You’ve got to stay contemporary. …
“Everything is going digital. … You’ve got to stay up with it. And you’ve got to stay fresh and you’ve got to stay daring and different. We have to do this.”
The final step of the renovation will involve repaving and striping the parking lot.
The only section of the interior that will be left mostly untouched is the kitchen, though Reidenbach said equipment upgrades are in the plans down the road.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will include a magician, is planned for Nov. 3.
The restaurant’s last update was in 2005. That project featured a complete demolition of the original store, which was built in 1974, and included an expansion of the parking lot and the addition of the double drive-thru lane.
McDonald’s Vision 2020 calls for each restaurant to be renovated every 10 years.
“It’s exciting in that you know that top management is not sitting still,” Reidenbach said. “We were a little slow to embrace some of the technology. But we’re going full force now.”
The Portland site is the first of Reidenbach’s seven McDonald’s locations to go through the current renovation process. Sites in Marion and Bluffton are slated for updates later this year, with restaurants in Hartford City, Alexandria and Elwood, and the truck stop at Interstate 69 and Indiana 18 east of Marion, slated for 2019 upgrades.
Reidenbach touted upgrades like the ordering kiosks and the McDonald’s smartphone app as signs that the company is embracing technology in all forms.
“We’re doing what the customer wants. And the customer is changing. The kids today, it’s all here,” he said, pointing to his smartphone. “You don’t want to become the Woolworths or the Sears of the industry. You’ve got to change. You’ve got to stay contemporary. …
“Everything is going digital. … You’ve got to stay up with it. And you’ve got to stay fresh and you’ve got to stay daring and different. We have to do this.”
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