A ribbon stacked with dollar bills was cut by Steve Killian Sr. Thursday evening marking the unofficial opening of the firm’s new Antigo McDonald’s restaurant.
“We love Antigo,” Killian, and his son, Steve Jr. told a crowd gathered at a reception for the new restaurant at the intersection of Highways 45 and 64 on the city’s north side.
The new facility replaces an aging site in the 300 block of Superior Street that closed Monday evening to allow for the shift to the busy location in the North Town Centre complex.
Steve Killian Jr. who partners with his father, Steve, in the West Bend-based firm that operates a number of McDonald’s across the state of Wisconsin, thanked the Antigo and Langlade County community for their support adding that he thinks this was the one of the quickest construction projects on record.
The new restaurant is a very modern facility with drive-up lanes and inside counter and seating opportunities.
The Killians explained that the older restaurant in the 300 block of Superior Street needed to either have extensive remodeling or replacement — and the replacement option was more cost-efficient.
Then there was the question where the replacement would be placed, at the old site or a new location.
“The decision was difficult,” the Killians said, adding that the new complex brings all of the very latest technologies in restaurant design while maintaining the tradition of tasty food and value.
A ceremony was held with the Antigo/Langlade County Chamber of Commerce using a ribbon formed with dollar bills, and after the Killians clipped it, the money was donated to the Community Health Foundation.
And after the ribbon ceremony, the Killians presented another $1,000 check to the foundation as a salute to Jenny Schlundt, who with her husband previously operated the Antigo McDonald’s. She is now associated with Langlade Hospital’s fundraising division.
The opening came just hours before McDonald’s Corporation said its third-quarter net income rose by 9 percent to $1.51 billion, its ninth straight quarter of earnings gains.