By mid-August, fast-food fans on the east side of Jefferson City will have a brand-new McDonald's to visit - sort of.
The McDonald's at 815 Eastland Drive is already there and isn't going anywhere, but remodeling will essentially make the building new, according to local franchisee Butch Ruprecht.
"It's pretty much everything but a rebuild," Ruprecht said. "We're going to update the outside, and the inside is going to be completely new."
Inside, the seating area will be totally different with new floor tiles, Ruprecht said.
The McDonald's will also have self-ordering kiosks and a new drive-thru system that will make the drive-thru faster, he added.
Other changes include a kitchen remodel, new roof, new freezers and new equipment.
"It'll be like a brand new store," Ruprecht said. "It's going to be a really nice, modern, state-of-the-art facility."
The biggest change to the building may be the addition of a small conference room that can be reserved for community events. Ruprecht, who is the franchise owner of several other McDonald's restaurants in Jefferson City, said it will be the only location in town with this feature.
"We'll be able to host movie nights for kids with our conference room, things like that," Ruprecht said. "It's going to be really unique to the east end too - something the east end can be really proud of."
Some work has already begun, but the store will be open until July 15, when it will close for four weeks. They plan to reopen Aug. 12, when the remodel will be completely done.
The general contractor on the project is Farnsworth Group, according to a building permit filed with Jefferson City. The project cost is listed as $275,000.
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