Come in and sit down. The iconic Battle Mountain McDonald's restaurant, known for its burgers, fries and shakes, reopened its doors to the public with a ribbon-cutting event after the completion of construction that gave it a new look, both inside and out. The event, held Nov. 17, also commemorated McDonald's rejoining the Battle Mountain Chamber of Commerce.
“All around the entire building is new and we chopped off the overhangs that we had. The most important change we have made is more of a cultural one,” explained McDonald's restaurant manager Clayton Burns. “We have kiosks now. [The restaurant] has more of a modern look and we do table service where our crew will bring the trays to the customers. We now have more of a restaurant-style environment, instead of your typical fast food place.”
As part of the grand reopening event, McDonald's handed out free promotion cards. Each card gives the carrier one free McCafe drink per month for a year. The restaurant also held a raffle and had a prize wheel for visitors.
A new feature at the McDonald's is the modern touchscreen ordering system inside the restaurant. Currently, a McDonald's employee is posted by the touchscreen to assist guests with the new technology. The system will allow the restaurant to add a third area to order for guests. Guests can pay at the kiosks with debit or credit cards but will still have to report to the cashier to pay for food ordered with cash.
John Anderson Construction did the remodel – the first improvement in at least ten years, according to Burns. He anticipates that the updates will help employees become much more efficient. For example, the beverage equipment was moved next to the drive-through window, saving employees 20 steps and 30 seconds per order. This one change will make for even faster fast food.
The drive-through was open during the remodel, but the inside of the restaurant was closed during most of the construction process. Employees feel the restaurant will benefit from the updates and expect a faster food service moving forward.
