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TheQuestioner wrote:

romleys wrote:The Willow Glen McDonalds in San Jose,CA is actually one of the first locations in Northern California. It kind of seems like McDonalds (as a company) doesn't realize they have left this very old location in its original form. In my opinion the San Jose location is far more original than Downey (but some might disagree).

I am not that familiar with San Jose neighborhoods. Are you talking about the McDonald's at 2434 Almaden Rd.? I have visited that one, it is pretty cool, though Downey's is the only one I have seen that has an intact interior with working kitchen. If there is another really old McD's in San Jose besides Almaden, I would love to check it out.

The Almaden Rd location is the one being referred to, near a 1960s Safeway that I think recently closed (but had its original decor as late as 2007).

An interesting ex-McDonalds with the single-arch sign, in Los Angeles:
http://flickr.com/photos/tortugaone/3000832150/

Jeff wrote:

Dean wrote:Bit o' trivia/interesting McDonald's site...

I'd say ~late 70s, the chain built a free-standing site in the City of Industry CA solely to film commercials. It is still standing to this day. They actually have built a large "studio" next door as well.

It is off Gale Avenue, near Azusa Avenue, in an industrial park. I believe the cross street is Bixby.

Its actually on Green Drive, a 1/2 Circle shape street between Bixby and (west of) Azusa off Gale.

Its still there and its been remodeled to look like a McDonald's today. Its awesome to see.

Just drove by it recently...as they were filming.

Indeed, they continue to remodel the site to change with the times.

They pile up various materials (slides, signs, etc) in the back for whatever need they may have.

Truly is in an odd spot...yet, has been there for years!

I always enjoy (!) the commercials...as to see how they have enhanced the site for the commercial.

Dean,

Just a few years ago, the filming McDonalds looked like most older McDonalds, with the red tiled roof. I think the architecture of this location is more like the one on Gale in Hacienda Heights. I used to think it was a real McDonald's just for people that work in the warehouses in the Bixby Industrial Park.

luckysaver

All McDonalds commercials are filmed here: Interior and Exterior.

Check out this OLD commercial!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krXP_TUZqsk&NR=1

Until seeing this one...NEVER knew how the 'ol variation had begun= "McDonald's is your kind of place...they serve you rattlesnacks. With pickles up your nohohose, french fries between your toes. McDonald's is your kind of place!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFEkfipbI3Q&NR=1

Dean wrote:

Jeff wrote:

Dean wrote:Bit o' trivia/interesting McDonald's site...

I'd say ~late 70s, the chain built a free-standing site in the City of Industry CA solely to film commercials. It is still standing to this day. They actually have built a large "studio" next door as well.

It is off Gale Avenue, near Azusa Avenue, in an industrial park. I believe the cross street is Bixby.

Its actually on Green Drive, a 1/2 Circle shape street between Bixby and (west of) Azusa off Gale.

Its still there and its been remodeled to look like a McDonald's today. Its awesome to see.

Just drove by it recently...as they were filming.

Indeed, they continue to remodel the site to change with the times.

They pile up various materials (slides, signs, etc) in the back for whatever need they may have.

Truly is in an odd spot...yet, has been there for years!

I always enjoy (!) the commercials...as to see how they have enhanced the site for the commercial.

Pictures of site:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/2293

Is it true that the McDonald's at 9100 SE Powell Blvd (the older building that is not used) is a landmark and a museum, per se?

~Ben

Dean wrote:The La Habra CA McDonald's on Whittier Boulevard near Harbor Boulevard is an older site.

Older in that it was built before drive-thrus were the norm.

The drive-thru was added to the side of the building...yet it is far from the kitchen. I believe the restrooms are in between.

So, to get the food to the drive-thru window...there is a conveyor belt...that carries the food up and over the distance to the drive-thru window.

It is a quite a sight!

One of the older McDonald's in Ottawa, ON is like that, where the drive thru is far from the inside ordering zone, so they use a small conveyor to send the food to the drive-thru.

Dean wrote:The La Habra CA McDonald's on Whittier Boulevard near Harbor Boulevard is an older site.

Older in that it was built before drive-thrus were the norm.

The drive-thru was added to the side of the building...yet it is far from the kitchen. I believe the restrooms are in between.

So, to get the food to the drive-thru window...there is a conveyor belt...that carries the food up and over the distance to the drive-thru window.

It is a quite a sight!

I can remember when the La Habra one looked like the "untouched, unscathed" one in Downey, on Florence / Lakewood Blvd. Now THAT is a SIGHT TO SEE!

I have to point out there are at least three Portland, Oregon-area "Mickey D's" that are older than store #425 (9100 SE Powell Blvd.). These locations are:
12109 NE Glisan St. in Portland (store #203)
9475 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. in Beaverton (store #330)
2875 SE Powell Blvd. in Portland (store #384)

All three of these locations have had major changes to their buildings in the late '70s and '80s (no earlier than January 24, 1975 as that was the first year any Mickey D's had a drive thru - the first such location being in Sierra Vista, AZ - in company history).

I also believe the Oak Grove Mickey D's (at 15114 SE McLoughlin Blvd.) had a store number under #1000 because of the massive road sign, which lasted until this location got replaced by store #24524, which opened at 15870 SE McLoughlin Blvd., in 2000. The original 15114 building itself, like many early Mickey D's, had been replaced sometime after 1975.

~Ben

There's another old McDonalds (#1386) at 1420 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94402-3020. There still is not a drivethru and the restaurant is pretty small with very little seating. It has a basement storeroom. However, it has parking both beside the parking lot and across the street.

http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9LjE0MjArU ... U1MTg5Nw==

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=mcd ... 17,,0,2.66

I don't know how busy it is now, but back in the early 90's it was still very busy for such a small restaurant. Back then, it was owned by the corporation (according to someone that worked there), but is a franchisee now (according to its homepage). I had the opportunity to visit it last year and it's run down on the inside compared to when it was corporate.

The site in Palm Desert CA (on 111 near Monterey) is basically built into the center...like a strip mall shop. I assume it was built before drive-thru's became the norm. They have never added a drive thru...as their locale physically could not have one.

I guess they must do well enough without one, and not feel the need to relocate to add one.

I was at the new McD's the other day on Valley in Rosemead. Something unique that I never knew was that the original a few blocks west was originally an arch building built in the late 50's and was identical to the one in Downey. They have pictures of the store in the 70s as it was getting expanded and remodeled into the mansard roof style. There are many awesome pictures in the new store of the old store which they closed a few years back after moving east a few blocks.

I wonder how many original mcds were remodeled this way...

The McDonald's in East Ridge, TN(Chattanooga) was walk-up unit that received a mansard remodel while continuing to be a walk-up and retaining the arches. It wasn't until the late 70's it was remodeled with a dining room addition and lost the arches. In the mid-80's it was relocated to the I-75/US 41 interchange where it is still and will probably receive the "forever young" makeover in the near future.