City Approves McDonald's Drive-Thru Redesign
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- A $200,000 upgrade to the drive-thru lanes at the Fifth Avenue McDonald’s will move forward, a precursor to a potential remodel of the restaurant itself, its owner says.
A plan to reconfigure the drive-thru lane at the McDonald’s restaurant, 570 Fifth Ave., from a single-lane layout to a dual-lane layout, was approved Tuesday by the city’s Design Review Committee. Area McDonald’s franchisee John Perdue and Jim Ptacek, project manager for Larsen Architects, Lakewood, appeared before the committee to discuss the redesign.
Starting with former McDonald’s owner Al Covelli as a maintenance man in 1970, Purdue purchased three units from Covelli’s son, Sam, when he divested his McDonald’s stores to become a Panera Bread franchisee. Perdue now owns nine McDonald’s restaurants in the Mahoning Valley including the Fifth Avenue unit, located just across from the Youngstown State University campus, and the two-story unit known as “the world’s most Macnificent McDonald’s” in Warren.
Drive-thru orders are tracked by monitors inside the restaurant, which are accompanied by the image of the car associated with the order, Ptacek said. “With the two order points you automatically enhance the efficiency,” he said.
The redesign, which features two lanes and speakers for motorists to give their orders side by side, is a necessary step prior to doing a full remodel, Perdue said. Stores that have gone under similar remodels in recent years include Purdue’s downtown Niles unit.
“The more customers we can get at the order booth, the faster that goes to the grill area, the faster they’ll make the food,” Purdue said. “We try to do the side-by-side lanes first because that helps increase the business [and] increase the cash flow so I can afford to do the major remodel with the lobby and the outside.”
Additionally, the Design Review Committee approved signs for a downtown restaurant that has operated for nearly a year and a new coffee shop slated to open later this summer.
After opening downtown nearly a year ago, O’Donold’s Pub & Grille requested and received approval to install a sign and say, “We’re here,” said Jerry Schonhut, general manager of the downtown restaurant. The 4-foot circular white sign will feature a green-outlined shamrock and black lettering, and hang just left of the West Federal Street entrance. Schonhut agreed the lighted sign would hang a minimum of 10 feet above the ground and extend about 5 feet from the front of the building. The sign also will have a neon accent ring.
“Now there’s some sort of antiquated commitment to not having neon, but I think it’s tastefully executed,” said committee member John DeFrance of Olsavdky & Jaminet Architects, Youngstown. “It’s just accent lighting.”
“We love downtown. It’s a great place to be,” Schonhut remarked. “The business is doing fine. Being in this community and the officials that we work with are terrific. Everyone seems to be very supportive.”
The committee also approved signage and façade work at the new Friends Roastery, which is opening in the Peggy Ann Building. The coffee shop, which will be a second location for the Salem-based business, is expected to open in August, said owner Patricia Tinkler.
Tinkler proposed minor alterations to the façade including replacement of some of the damaged siding and removal of some of the window bays to accommodate outdoor seating. The entire project, including the exterior and interior work, should cost less than $20,000, she estimated.
“I love the old downtowns,” Tinkler said. She noted she grew up in Youngstown and there seems to be a “vibrancy” there. “It’s a nice counterpoint to our Salem location,” she added.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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