McDonald’s closes Times Square flagship

Mainstay restaurant closed Tuesday

McDonald’s on 220 West 42nd Street (Getty, iStock)
McDonald’s on 220 West 42nd Street (Getty, iStock)

It’s the end of an era.

McDonald’s closed its Times Square flagship restaurant and is shifting focus to its more upscale — and contactless — new location at the Bow Tie Building at 1530 Broadway, the New York Post reported. The final Happy Meal on West 42nd Street was served Tuesday.

The 17,500-square-foot restaurant operated for 17 years and is decorated like a Broadway theater with thousands of light bulbs adorning its marquee. It was the launch location for new menu items and national programs, such as free Wi-Fi in McDonald’s restaurants.

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The company said the closure of the location was in the works before coronavirus, which has hit restaurants and national retailers like a ton of bricks and mortar.

McDonald’s new flagship is an all-glass outfit that has only five cashiers thanks to 18 self-ordering kiosks. The restaurant will have a dine-in experience with table service for guests who will sit on upholstered benches. [NYP] — Erin Hudson

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