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Durango McDonald’s reopens after six-month remodel

Fast food restaurant maintains previous footprint, but otherwise was rebuilt from the ground up
Bertina Romero, general manager at the Durango McDonald’s restaurant, has been in the business for 19 years. She transferred from the Pagosa Springs McDonald’s to manage the Durango outlet upon its reopening in December. (Christian Burney/Durango Herald)

The McDonald’s restaurant in downtown Durango is back in business after being closed for half a year for major renovations. Thousands of customers have already visited the restaurant since its reopening earlier this month, said McDonald’s spokesperson Debbie Fitzgerald.

Residents were teased with a possible fall reopening by a sign under the famous golden arches that read, “See you in October,” but development continued into late December.

During Snowdown, the week of Jan. 24, the Durango McDonald’s will host a community appreciation week to celebrate its reopening. The restaurant will feature prizes and giveaways all week long.

The prizes will be given away through a raffle that customers can join by visiting the restaurant during Snowdown week. More information will be provided to customers that week.

Some of the prizes include:

  • Free food
  • Coke mini-fridge
  • Coke Bluetooth speakers
  • T-shirts
  • 65-inch 4K TV
  • Sound bar
  • Apple AirPods Pro
  • $1,000 gift card to 2nd Ave Sports

The fast food restaurant outlet is locally owned and operated by the Bronson family, which opened the shop more than 43 years ago. Brett Bronson purchased the establishment in 2015 from his father, John Bronson, who along with his wife, Beckie Bronson, opened the original Durango eatery on Nov. 11, 1978.

Renovations included a four-wall remodel that kept the building’s exact footprint intact, but replaced all the structures, including the walls, according to a news release from a McDonald’s representative.

Local McDonald’s General Manager Bertina Romero passes a tray of soft drinks, water and milk to a drive-thru customer on Friday. (Christian Burney/Durango Herald)

The kitchen area and drive-thru were redesigned for more efficiency and to make it easier for the kitchen crew to serve customers. The drive-thru features two lanes for customers to place their orders.

The interior of the restaurant includes six self-ordering kiosks and a short climbing wall where children can burn some energy.

An attendant is present to help customers navigate the self-ordering kiosks, which feature touchscreen technology used to navigate a digital menu featuring all the meals patrons are familiar with.

The Durango McDonald’s team consists of more 70 crew members and 10 managers with more hiring opportunities on the horizon.

cburney@durangoherald.com



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