Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Meta

McDonalds, 4301 Hard Scrabble Rd: Fall 2014 (open again)   24 comments

Posted at 10:14 pm in closing

p1170245_tn.jpg

p1170246_tn.jpg

p1170247_tn.jpg

p1170248_tn.jpg

p1170249_tn.jpg

p1170250_tn.jpg

p1170251_tn.jpg

p1170252_tn.jpg

Commenter Sidney reported the McDonalds in The Crossings
at the corner of Hardcrabble and Clemson closed for renovations some time ago, but I only finally got out there after it re-opened.

Although I don't remember exactly what it looked like before, my impression is that this store has *not* been remodeled along the same lines as other recent McDonalds revampings (here, for example). In particular, the new style subtle arch cap-pieces and drive-through styling are not present, and the boxy glass playroom, which has been removed in other stores, still is.

UPDATE: Oops! Commenter Sidney says the remodeling hasn't happened yet. Looking at how fresh everything looks, I was sure it had, but now these can serve as "BEFORE" pictures.

(Hat tip to commenter Sidney)

UPDATE 7 August 2017 -- I still have yet to put the construction and "after" pictures up. I have them. Somewhere. Anyway, the place is open again.

Written by ted on August 19th, 2014

Tagged with , , , , ,

24 Responses to 'McDonalds, 4301 Hard Scrabble Rd: Fall 2014 (open again)'

Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'McDonalds, 4301 Hard Scrabble Rd: Fall 2014 (open again)'.

  1. They didn't do anything yet. They keep putting it off. My son just told me that they have now pushed the date back to September 7th.

    Sidney

    19 Aug 14 at 10:37 pm

  2. Huh. Why does the whole thing look so freshly painted then, and the bobcat in the corner..

    Oh well, these can serve as "before" pictures then!

    I'll update the post title to "not closed yet" :-)

    ted

    19 Aug 14 at 11:00 pm

  3. I, for one, cannot see the rationale behind the destruction (if this will be a new building) just to fit the current marketing strategy where Micky D's is trying to cater to a more mature clientele. Not that it will affect me one way or another. I may visit the place once in a while for some fries or when the McRib makes a showing. Other than that, there's nothing on the menu that I really care about. And I can walk across the street to get to mine.

    Homer

    20 Aug 14 at 12:04 am

  4. Actually they are not going to tear it down. They are going to do some renovations. They are going to make the drive-thru 2 lanes. Close off the door on the drive thru side. Gonna do something to the play area, I forgot what the manager said to me. But there will be a door where the play are is located now. And they will have a McCafe area.

    Sidney

    20 Aug 14 at 12:39 pm

  5. I read at one point several years ago that McDonald's had a plan to spend several years both remodeling most of their ≈14,000 US locations...

    I think changes in the intervening years have caused tweaks to their plans.

    The following McDonald's locations being remodeled meant the playground was no longer:

    - Assembly & Elmwood
    - Garners Ferry & Wildcat Road
    - US 1 & Oak Drive in Lexington (near the Barnyard Flea Market)
    - Broad River and Dutch Square Blvd
    - Two Notch & West Beltline Blvd.

    In addition the following new McDonald's locations were built and never had a playground:

    - Harbison Blvd. & Park Terrace Drive
    - US 378 in Lexington near Corley Mill Road
    - SC 6 in Red Bank near Shoppes at White Knoll
    - Longs Pond Road near I-20 (this one was built alongside a Love's gas station).

    The location at St. Andrews & Ashland has had their playground removed but hasn't been remodeled yet...I remember being happy when this one got a 'self serve beverage bar.'

    Be that as it may, the one at Platt Springs and Emmanuel Church Road near CAE has been remodeled but still has their playground. In 2008 the one in Lexington near Shoppes at Flight Deck was rebuilt when it got fried in a storm (it turned out to be more cost effective to rebuild than repair) and it still has a playground.

    I wouldn't be surprised if the one here gets remodeled without a playground in the final product (but we'll have to wait and see).

    This one didn't top the list of the ones I wanted to see but I can't say I'm 100% surprised to see it get remodeled...I think I'd like to see the one on St. Andrews Road (in front of Irmo Elementary School), Parklane Road (in front of Columbia Place Mall) and the one in the 1300 Block of Charleston Highway (within walking distance of the recently discussed former Taco Cid location) get done..

    This is part of a shift away from playgrounds at fast food establishments...not just at McDonald's, but Hardee's and Burger King as well. I never enjoyed them that much even when I was of age to enjoy them. The only one that still consistently has a playground at most of their locations is Chick-Fil-A.

    Andrew

    20 Aug 14 at 1:31 pm

  6. Andrew - Great post. You are like an encyclopedia of information, that's amazing.

    Rick

    20 Aug 14 at 4:06 pm

  7. @Rick, I was thinking pretty much the same thing about Andrew's post. It seems like he could be a writer for the newspaper or something. This website provides so much information that you just can't get anywhere else. That's why I love this site.

    Like Rick said, Great post Andrew!

    Sidney

    20 Aug 14 at 9:35 pm

  8. The playplace was taken apart and strewn about the parking lot this morning when I drove by. I can only assume they took all the children out of it first.

    Jason

    3 Sep 14 at 6:20 pm

  9. Jason I noticed the same thing when I was over that way this afternoon...I think they did it after hours...I can't imagine the can of worms the golden arches would face if they still had children at the time of the removal.

    Like I've said earlier, McDonald's has moved away from having playgrounds on site (as have Hardee's and Burger King). In fact two Hardee's locations that used to have playgrounds but don't anymore have featured here (a link to them is available via the Alphabetical Closings list linked at the top of this page)...

    Andrew

    3 Sep 14 at 7:39 pm

  10. It's closed as of this morning. The sign indicates it will be opening again in mid-October.

    Jason

    8 Sep 14 at 8:49 am

  11. Yeah, Saturday night was my son's last night working for a few weeks at that location.

    Sidney

    8 Sep 14 at 10:26 am

  12. Looks like a McDonald's is going up at Killian's Crossing almost right off 77, which doesn't bode well for this location. Getting in and out of here is, to put it kindly, often nightmarish if one wishes to head north on Hard Scrabble or east on Clemson.

    Jason

    9 Sep 14 at 8:24 pm

  13. Someone mentioned that McDonald's had broken ground on a new site along Killian Road in the Killian Crossing area but I have yet to see any signs of construction...it's more likely to be closer to I-77 as my dad has told me that McDonald's is willing to pay more on a property purchase for a prime location...I wonder how it makes sense to build one and still keep this one as they feel too close but I don't think McDonald's would remodel this location to then turn around and close it. Not only that, the nearby Walmart at 321 Killian Road (just across I-77) has a McDonald's in the Walmart.

    Popeyes is supposed to open over there later this week and I've also read that Rush's was eying a piece of property...and Hardee's is supposed to build there as well. I read another forum about it indicating that Kroger has plans for a marketplace store there that I worry will adversely affect Sparkelberry Square's.

    Andrew

    9 Sep 14 at 9:19 pm

  14. The Hardee's is going on the right side of Killian as you are heading toward Walmart.
    There is a sold sign on the property and the sign states that Hardee's is going in this location.
    Sparkelberry Kroger's was totally remodeled about 2 years ago so I doubt they would close it after all the money they sunk into it.

    ken holler

    10 Sep 14 at 1:16 am

  15. Yes a McDonalds is going in on Killian. That is what the manager at the one at Hardscrabble and Clemson told me. There is also a Chick-Fil-A going in somewhere on Killian. Initially it was supposed to go in near the Murphy gas station. But that may have changed now.

    About the 2 McDonalds being so close to each other. They did the same thing on Decker. They have the one at the 2200 block and they have the one on Parklane in front of Columbia Mall. You could also say that about the 2 on Garners Ferry, although those 2 are a little farther apart.

    Sidney

    10 Sep 14 at 3:25 pm

  16. Chick-Fil-A just completed a remodel on their Sparkleberry Square location...I guess the demographics of Northeast Richland and Blythewood are growing better than I thought...I remember when the Super Bi-Lo opened in the Village at Sandhills wondering if it'd adversely affect the one at Spring Valley Commons but both seem to be humming along all these years later so it's entirely possible that the community is there to support Kroger's at Sparkleberry Square and Killian Crossing.

    I'd love to see the McDonalds in front of Columbia Place mall get remodeled...

    Andrew

    10 Sep 14 at 4:26 pm

  17. There's a fair number of lots with sold signs on them on either side of Killian, I'm hoping Chick fil A is going in on one of those. If they're closer to Lowe's after that road turns into Clemson, I'll weigh 400 lbs within a year because that's just too close to my house for my own good.

    Jason

    10 Sep 14 at 7:58 pm

  18. McDonalds is a go.
    Went to get on 77 north today and there is a sign on the right side of the road heading towards Walmart.
    It's close to the new traffic signal.

    ken holler

    11 Sep 14 at 2:33 pm

  19. I think it's directly at the intersection of the new traffic signal (not sure what the intersection's cross street is called)...right at the intersection...which doesn't surprise me given a tendency of the golden arches to pay more for a prime piece of property...

    Andrew

    11 Sep 14 at 3:36 pm

  20. Checked this morning-it is at the new traffic light.
    Checked mileage from the Hardscrabble location-2.8 miles.
    Checked mileage from the new location to the inside Walmart location-.5 miles.
    That's a lot of Mickey D's in a short distance.

    ken holler

    12 Sep 14 at 6:31 am

  21. Andrew,

    Sorry I deleted your comment on Dentsville McDonalds. I was trying to get rid of the tatoo spam and hit the wrong link.

    ted

    13 Sep 14 at 10:44 am

  22. Well let me rehash it...

    Ken holler mapping the two Clemson/Killian McDonald's got me to thinking about the distance between the two Dentsville area McDonald's and I found out that the McDonald's at 7041 Parklane Rd (which is at the top of my list of McDonald's needing an overhaul (I think it stems from the fact that this McDonald's doesn't have a self-serve beverage bar the way most of them do now) but this location still has their playground) is 1.1 miles from the one 2230 Decker Boulevard (which has been overhauled to current McDonald's standards). So it appears as the two Clemson/Killian will wind up being further apart than the two established Denstville locations.

    I remember the Walmart at 360 Harbison Blvd. having a McDonald's inside it back in the 90s. They moved out and built the one at Jamil Road and Harbison (that stretch of Jamil Road was renamed Saturn Parkway when Bower Parkway came along). This one was moved down to Harbison & Park Terrace about 2 years ago. I find myself contemplating the possibility that something like that will happen to the one inside the 321 Killian Road Walmart (but stay tuned).

    Andrew

    13 Sep 14 at 9:45 pm

  23. I noticed the other day that the Micky D's in Irmo has been repainted in the ruddy red like the Hard Scrabble location. I don't know how long it has been this way since I usually don't frequent them or even take a second glance wile driving by.

    Homer

    15 Sep 14 at 12:53 am

  24. This McDonald's is back in business with the following changes:

    - playplace is about half the size it was (but still exists unlike most of the other McDonald's remodels that have been done in recent years)...
    - dining space has been enlarged and has a more spacious feel to it
    - restrooms have an actual 'hallway' of sorts as opposed to having a door directly along the main wall
    - 2 drive-thru lines
    - a wheelchair-compatible ramp along the sidewalk on Hard Scrabble Road in front of this restaurant

    Now if only the former Food Lion can find something new to backfill it...

    So with that in mind, I hereby recommend that this post title be changed from 'not closed yet' to 'open again'.

    Andrew

    26 Oct 14 at 4:24 pm

Leave a Reply

Tags

Recently Updated Posts

Blogroll