One of the oldest McDonald's in metro Atlanta is closing this month after more than five decades in business. The McDonald's at 3893 LaVista Road in Tucker first opened in 1969, according to DeKalb County property records. There was no official reason given for the planned October 31 closure but the restaurant has in recent days already started to decommission the building including removing the "Golden Arches" from nearly all exterior signage and disassembling and relocating the formerly indoor PlayPlace to a temporary dumpster placed on property to assist with the closure.
The 4,600 square foot McDonald's restaurant also received the brand's updated restaurant design including a facelift both inside and outside about five years ago. (The new look has been largely panned by consumers with some going so far as to say it took McDonald's from "fun and cool teenager" to "boring and dull adult.")
Bruce Vineyard Jr., and his sister Lynn Vineyard Miller are third generation operators and own the Tucker McDonald's along with 27 others around metro Atlanta including those in Covington, Conyers, Loganville, Centerville and Locust Grove, among others. The siblings inherited the restaurants from their father, Bruce P. Vineyard, who was a McDonald's operator for more than 60 years before passing away in late 2022. Philip W. Vineyard and Vernon F. Vineyard, Bruce P's father and uncle, were also McDonald's operators in Florida from 1958-1973.
Sources close to the restaurant with whom ToNeTo Atlanta spoke seemed to suggest the closure was due to overall changes in dining habits as well as local changes in the traffic patterns of Northlake area drivers/consumers. The source went on to indicate that they would not be surprised to see a new McDonald's open outside the perimeter but close to Northlake within the next few years.
McDonald's and its independent operators continue to operate hundreds of McDonald's restaurants in Georgia including several in the Tucker/Chamblee/Brookhaven area. Units closest to the Northlake area include those on Lawrenceville Highway, Chamblee Tucker Road, and North Druid Hills near North DeKalb Mall. The company also operates two locations along Clairmont Road just off exit 91 of I-85 and another pair of locations on each side of exit 89 (North Druid Hills) with one, 2071 North Druid Hills, doing so well that it operates 24/7, a rarity in a post-COVID fast food world.
As with many McDonald's, the Tucker property is owned by McDonald's corporate and is leased to the Vineyards. That said, there is reportedly no immediate plan for the property, but with so much happening at Northlake [Mall], there will likely be interest in the parcel for redevelopment. Between 2021 and 2022, DeKalb County's assessment of the land value more than doubled from $910,934 to $1,947,120.
Across the street from the soon to close McDonald's sits a former Wendy's that became the new home of Fork in the Road when the casual eatery vacated its space at Northlake [Mall] in 2018. On one side of Fork in the Road part of a largely vacant shopping center was redeveloped into a new Popeyes while on the other side and longer ago, a former Dairy Queen was redeveloped into a Regions Bank.
As ToNeTo Atlanta reported in late 2022, a new Five Guys Burgers & Fries opened in an outparcel of Northlake Festival earlier this year.
Chicago-based McDonald's, which has nearly 14,000 restaurants nationwide and about 40,000 globally, is not immune from consumer, economic, geographic and other changes and does occasionally close restaurants, albeit not at the frequency of other brands. Hardee's and Burger King have collectively closed more than a dozen restaurants around metro Atlanta in recent years. That said, our source close to McDonald's in Atlanta indicated a few other units in metro Atlanta could close in the coming months, but declined to elaborate on where they may be.
A McDonald's in Dunwoody Village shuttered in 2020 and remains vacant while shuttered McDonald's restaurants on Buford Highway in Doraville and Powers Ferry Road in East Cobb were redeveloped into a Popeyes and Take 5 Oil Change respectively. Mi Rancho Comida Hondurena #2, a locally owned Mexican and Salvadorian restaurant, opened in a former McDonald's on Roswell Road in Marietta in 2018.
Are you surprised to see McDonald's close its Tucker restaurant? Do you remember the old Arby's and its giant neon sign that was there before? What would you like to see open in place of the soon to close McDonald's?
Please share your thoughts below.
29 comments:
Kind of surprised to hear of the closure. Maybe just cause this McDonald's has always been here. My husband likes this McDonald's not sure which location he will go to now cause this one was so convenient. I do remember the classic Arby's that was on the property and still miss that. Interesting about the McDonald's location on North Druid Hills being open 24 hours.
Oh wow, this is a shock. I remember going there mostly around 45+ years ago when dad and the boys would eat at McD's, mom and sis would go over to the more highfalutin Arby's. There was a Steak n' Shake, and later Showbiz Pizza, then the DQ. And there was Pizza Inn (now Monterrey). I guess that now the traffic is heavier moreso where the 5 Guys and CFA are.
I could see the McD's parcel really 'thriving' as a Kaiser Permanente drive-through covid and flu booster center (plus mask and sanitizer dispensary), keeping the local aging population safe.
I can't recall where McDonalds is/was although I'm sure I ate there when I worked an Northlake many moons ago. Do not remember Arby's at all, but I do remember the Wendy's, Steak and Shake along with Pizza Inn. However, my favorite, which was not a fast food place, was The Commodity Exchange.
Convert it into a funeral home. There appears to be a lot of curmudgeonly miserable old people in Tucker unhappy with everything
Not surprised. The last time I visited the McDonald's they told me they were out of burgers
I hope a lot of them close. McDonalds has become such a garbage product with terrible service at nearly every location. The ice cream machine jokes aside, there's literally never a McDonalds that you feel confident that your visit will be a great experience. With such low standards, the brand deserves to suffer.
McDonald’s is garbage.
Not very surprising. I've eaten at that McDonald's several times and found it completely empty of customers. At most, there was one booth occupied by the usual group of locals who show up everyday (don't you dare take "their booth" accident!) for coffee and something cheap, and spend a couple hours talking. For whatever reason, little groups like that are super common at restaurants in that area. It's not a bad thing. They only take one booth. But it doesn't fill a restaurant, either.
The McDonalds along the access road at 285 and Chamblee Dunwoody has shockingly great service. I used the drive thru fairly late on a large order for my daughter and a bunch of her friends (teens) a while back and the workers were friendly, fast and got the entire order right. I was so surprised I actually wrote corporate about how great the workers were. I tried it again a couple months later and had the same experience. It must be some kind of unicorn McDonalds or something because at most of the others I've gone to over the years, the employees act like they'd rather be anywhere else in the world.
Could not agree more
Mcdonalds has closed due to economic reasons. This location was riddled with gang activity in the area as many other businesses have been over the past two years. There is a lack of security from Dekalb county. Many businesses have been broken into by teeenagers looking to make a quick buck versus working. Maybe if the democrats who run the city would put business and security first, business closures would not occur. If you want answers, talk to your reps and demand answers. Businesses across the country are closing due to uneducated and fatherless youth. Don’t think chic fil a or others are immune. This epidemic is coming for all good businesses.
So, apparently Tucker is fraught with “ curmudgeonly miserable old people” and “fatherless youth”.
LOL @ gang activity in that area of Tucker. Anyone with sense would know you have no clue of what your speaking about. McDonald's closing has nothing to do with "gangs" or "Democrats". Its got to do with the fact that people are not paying almost $10 for a burger and fry at McDonalds. Prices have driven people away from eating at McD. When it was cheap to eat fast food, people loved McDonalds. Now with everything costing so much for some people if they are going to spend that much on food there are way better options to choose from.
Somebody's always got to make things political. If u have such a burr in your but, shut up and run for office.
Actually, Anonymous @ 2:20 nailed it regarding the prices of fast food. But that's what happens when the workers get paid $15 an hour.
Exactly
@November 1, 2023 at 10:33 PM
Hey Red Hat violent crime is actually on the decline in the Atlanta area according to 2023 stats so far. And it's actually approaching some of the lowest crime rates seen since the 60's. By the way, traitor, nobody wants your kind around so please stay out of Atlanta. For that matter, leave the country. Your kind is sick in the head.
Oh wow! I worked at this McDonald’s when I was in high school in 1969 and 1970. I have many great memories of mischievous antics that my friends and I were involved in while on the clock. We used to swap food with the crew at Arby’s next door which was strictly forbidden. I’m sad to see it close, it feels like a piece of me is gone forever. I’ll get over it.
Exactly
I remember in the early 80’s when the mc nugget came out. We worked there after school. They had the chicken lady with the goggles. She gave out mc nugget pads and pens with chicken foot prints. She was trying to do a chicken mc nuggets dance and tipped over into one of the ladies who came in to have decaf every day. Oops! Kids liked a mc nuggets tho, we used to have to clean up their puke by the merry go round. Sorry they closeing.
You must live in Tucker then. I’ve lived there all my life and must say, there are lovely people there. Come visit sometime.
If you want to understand why that particular McDonalds went out of business, look no further than the restaurant directly across the street. Eat at Fork-in-the-Road one time, and you will never visit that McDonalds again. The fact is, that Northlake McDonalds simply could not compete with the amazingly delicious broad selection of comfort food at Fork-in-the-Road directly across the street.
100% truth
This message brought to you by Fork In The Road! Where good food comes to roost!
this mcdonalds had the worst customer service of any mcdonalds I've ever visited, i file a complaint due to this store not having ice on a 90 degree day
When I first moved to the area we lived behind the Arby's. We asked the management if they would ask their employees Not to put old roast beef over the fence for my dogs. Within a year or two, they tore down both Mc Donald's and Arby's.. I remember taking my kids there to McDonald's for the play place. My family was shocked by it's closure.
I live not far from this location but had for several years routinely bypassed it to go instead to the McDonald’s on Clairmont in front of Sam’s Club or to the one next to QT on Mountain Industrial. The one at Jimmy Carter and Lawrenceville Hwy is about as good as those two. The one in Tucker—so so. It’s a function of the staff employed at a given restaurant.
yes i do remeber the arbys. i also remember the old mcdonalds
I frequented 3 McDonald’s and out of all 3 this was the only one that the got the order right consistently, and the people were consistently friendly! It was our favorite.
Shocked to see them go. Will miss this great location for sure! ❤️
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