ROCK SPRINGS – A little bit of Sweetwater County history will be turning the page this month as new beginnings are on the horizon.

On Friday, August 28, the first McDonald’s built in Sweetwater County will be torn down. Don’t fret, a new and improved McDonald’s will be built in its place.

On Tuesday, owner Greg Bailey said after 40 wonderful years, the restaurant on Sunset Drive will be torn down. There will be a going away party of sorts on August 28 as residents are invited to come and bid farewell. The celebration will be from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Visitors can enjoy a piece of Ronald cake at the event. The store will also be running a big special from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with 99 cent Big Macs.

The Bailey’s are also calling out to all the old employees who have worked at the location in the past. Portions of the walls will be kept and the Bailey’s would like everyone who has worked in the past to come and sign these.

History

The first McDonald’s in Sweetwater County opened on January 2, 1976. Over the past 40 years, it has become a familiar stop to many local residents. Greg Bailey took over on January 3, 1996.

Bailey explained each restaurant comes with a 20 year franchise. The Bailey’s franchise tag is up and it the current buildings life span is nearing an end and will be replaced with brand new one.

There have been several changes to the restaurant over the past 20 years. When it was first built, there was no interstate next to the building, no breakfast, no drive-thru, and no chicken McNuggets. All of these came on board after the store was opened.

The community staple also went from the old outdoor playground to the indoor playground which children enjoy to this day.

Some of the old playground equipment can still be seen today. Grimace has stood watch and continues to stand watch at the local landfill.

The restaurant was also joined by one in Green River and a second in Rock Springs located on Elk Street. The Green River restaurant opened on September 14th, 1984 and the Elk Street location came on board August 7, of 1998.

 

New Programs and New Jobs

Bailey looks forward to 20 more years serving the community. While excited to continue in the community, Bailey said he is also looking to new, exciting upgrades that will come with the new building.

The local McDonald’s restaurants will be introducing a new program called Create Your Taste. It will give customers a chance to have their food cooked the way they want it.

Bailey said the local restaurants will be part of a 70 store co-op with franchises throughout the Salt Lake City area. The new program is currently going on in a few locations which are mainly overseas. Bailey said the program got started in Australia.

Kiosks will be placed in the store which will allow people to order their food the way they want. While it may take a little longer than the typical fast food operation, the food will be cooked and prepared to the customers wishes and will all be fresh.

All three Sweetwater County locations will be part of the operation. Residents will get a sneak peak of the program as the Elk Street and Green River restaurants should have the program up and going in October. Bailey said they will be the only three locations in Wyoming which will have this option at this time.

With self ordering machines, one might think this would cut jobs. Bailey said the opposite is true. He explained with the new store will come about 40 new jobs. The Create Your Taste program alone will require 20 new employees.

The program will be offered until 9 p.m.

The new store will also feature several other new options:

• Breakfast all day
• New Freestyle soda machines which will include seltzer water
• An app customers can download which will remember recipes and make it to their liking
• Separate ordering space for bakery and McCafe items
• New playground featuring many new items include video game tables

“There will be fun things for all the different age groups,” Bailey said.

 

Timeline

After the celebration on August 28, Bailey will have two days to get everything out. Demolition of the current restaurant will start August 31 and should take approximately two weeks. This includes pulling up the asphalt and basically turning it back into a dirt lot before starting new construction.

The only things which will stay are the road signs and the shed in the back.

Construction should take approximately 120 days, weather permitting. Bailey said they are hopeful to have the new restaurant up and running at the end of December or the beginning of January. The Baileys said it would be neat if they could open the new location on the 40 year anniversary of the store on January 2.

The current employees at the Sunset location will continue to work. Bailey said they have all been retained and will be working in the other two locations while the Sunset location is being constructed.

Future

In all, Bailey said the new store will bring a “whole new look” from the new programs to new uniforms.

Bailey said the new programs will help McDonald’s stay relevant.

“Our hope is to please existing customers and hopefully attract new ones,” Bailey said. “We look forward to re-investing back in our community.”