Branson West McDonald's

[betamike]

Since I want to make sure we cover every square inch of our memories, does anyone pine for the days when the McDonald's in Branson West was "Old Time" themed with tables covered in SDC-type merchandise bags and the old wagon wheels, etc?

No matter how excited we were to get close to SDC, we always stopped there.  It was the true "gateway" to SDC and we knew we were almost there!!!

[bobber620]

Yep, and it was built to have the look of a log cabin. Always remember saying "Dad can we stop at the log cabin Mac donals on the way home pleeeeeeeeeeeeze." LOL oh the memories.

[betamike]

Springfield also used to have a few themed McDonalds too. The one by Battlefield Mall has a waterfall or little stream in it.  I loved that place!

[tiffanylynnt]

I remember that!! It was awesome!!

[rubedugans]

Wood Carvings (Similar to those at the wood carver's shop @ SDC) log cabin facade...man that place was great! Thanks for kick starting the memory there Beta!

[Junior]

When the McDonald's was built in about '81 or '82 it was the ONLY log cabin McDonald's anywhere. After work it was where we Juniors would run into a half dozen "citizens" who were also on their way home.

[rubedugans]

One year as a kid (early 80's) we were leaving the area the day after the Fall Crafts Festival ended, and we were so excited to see SDC workers out of the city in public!

[Junior]

Heads would turn at Hee Haw Theater when folks saw me at the concession there after I'd given them a ride at the diving bell earlier in the day. It's kind of like "Hey, I didn't expect to see you here, you're supposed to be at SDC!" I would sometimes stop to gas up the car on the way to work, or go into a burger or pizza joint after Hee Haw at night, and it was the same thing. I was only so surprised by someone once that I almost was speechless. In August of 1983, about a week or two after leaving SDC, I was across the state at Cape Girardeau at SEMO University getting ready to go into a class when a guy approached and asked if I was Junior Dugan from the diving bell at Silver Dollar City! I thought for a fleeting moment I was famous. 

[betamike]

One year as a kid (early 80's) we were leaving the area the day after the Fall Crafts Festival ended, and we were so excited to see SDC workers out of the city in public!

You know what?  Having also had that profound experience myself....it was probably the single biggest perk that I carried with me when I finally became an employee of Silver Dollar City some years later.   I'd always see if there was a kid just about the age I was back then, looking at me if I ran into the store on the way home.   I'd always interact with them just to sort of pay it forward.

[betamike]

Oh, and just for shakes, I'm going to start calling Branson West "Lakeview" like it was originally called when I was a young'n!

[Joy]

Eureka Springs has a McDonald's that used to be themed inside & out to look like a Victorian house. Sadly, it is not themed anymore; we were hoping to visit it on our Folklore Club trip last year and we were disappointed to find out it was no longer themed.

[betamike]

Eureka Springs has a McDonald's that used to be themed inside & out to look like a Victorian house. Sadly, it is not themed anymore; we were hoping to visit it on our Folklore Club trip last year and we were disappointed to find out it was no longer themed.

Yeah, worst corporate decision for Franchises ever....but I kind of understand it from a brand perspective.   Still, you never knew what kind of McDonald's you might find!   

[chittlins]

Most of all that was driven by corporate edict to franchisees when McDonalds was struggling around 8 years ago under fear of them losing their stores. They have alot less leeway with that now. Fayetteville had one with UofA related stuff, one that Elvis themed and the one by the mall is still done with hunting and fishing themed collectables and prints, even a few Redlins. About the only variation you'll see is the 50's style store anymore.

I remember as a young'un in Marked Tree, you wanted a birthday party at McDonald's in West Memphis cause it had the Wagontrain tables. I also remeber the one in Osceola Ark have one of the first playgrounds with play equipment that resembled Grimace and the hamburgular.

[Junior]

. When you posted about St. Louis area McDonald's a flood of memories come back. I grew up in Hazelwood from '62-'73. My McDonald's was an old early 60's style (modern at the time) walk-up. No dining area. About '68, they added four or six outdoor concrete tables with a little fountain. Wow, we thought that was pretty high class. McDonald's was the place my dad and mom would get burgers and fries on payday, and bring them home to us. We were right on the edge of blue/white collar. Mom a nurse, dad at McDonnell-Douglas. The only time we could afford to eat out was payday and that was a McDonald's supper on a Friday night. When we moved away we came back for a visit a year later, the little walk up was replaced with a modern, "suburban style" restaurant that was modern and up to date for it's time.The McDonald's was just down from what was Village Square Shopping Center on Lindburgh.  (The shopping center has apparently been converted to a college campus...gosh, for those of you in St. Louis that never had a chance to see a big movie in the Village Theater, it's too bad...pure early 70's with one screen...one HUGE screen.) I googled a map of the neighborhood and a McDonald's is still located there today!

[rubedugans]

To stir old memories for you Junior, Northwest Plaza hit the auction block recently. Starting bid was $1.25 million. It included a 10 story building, totaling 1.8 million square feet of leasable real estate. It is valued at $12 million. Highest bid was $2.9 million-It was below the minimum bid of $5 million. Sad days. My grandma worked there for years. I remember the outdoor mall before it was enclosed (we lived out there at the time). Sad times for sure.

Back to McDonald's!!!

I remember it was funny when seeing all of the fall festival trucks piled high with the unsold inventory outside of a McD's