If you were lovin’ Belleville’s iconic McDonald’s check out these unique Midwest locations
One of the metro-east’s premier McDonald’s locations officially has closed its doors after serving the Belleville community for more than 60 years.
The chain’s 4422 W. Main St. location is permanently closed, the Belleville News-Democrat reported this week. The site served as a community fixture and was known for its beloved and rare single-arch sign, among other features.
Although the unique McDonald’s restaurant is now closed, there are still plenty of extraordinary franchises located throughout the Midwest. Here’s a quick overview of some of the most notable sites near you.
Iconic McDonald’s restaurant in Belleville closes after more than 60 years in business
100 N. Carpenter St., Chicago, Ill.
Perhaps no McDonald’s location is more significant than the company’s corporate headquarters in Chicago. Opened in 2018, the high-rise building sits at the intersection of Randolph and Carpenter streets in the Fulton Market district. Expansion plans to make way for a new “innovation center” were announced in late 2022.
This McDonald’s site houses Hamburger University, the company’s global training center that instructs managers and owner-operators through courses covering restaurant operations, leadership skills, customer service and more. A 2015 report estimated at least 40% of McDonald’s global leadership attended Hamburger University.
Of course, no McDonald’s location would be complete without food, and the headquarters feature menu items you likely can’t get anywhere else in the U.S. The “global kitchen” offers a rotating menu of special items from around the world. Past offerings have included chicken Big Macs from New Zealand, garlic pepper fries from China and egg and mushroom sandwiches from Poland.
McDonald’s appears to be temporarily shuttering some of its U.S. offices, though the exact impacts remain unclear. The move comes as the company plans to impose layoffs amid a restructuring bid.
6201 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio
Located in Independence, Ohio, this McDonald’s location comes with a bit of added class.
Inside, the two-story restaurant is equipped with a self-playing piano, floor-to-ceiling windows and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Colonial-style decor helps elevate the interior of what some call the “White House” of McDonald’s.
Despite the flashiness, this McDonald’s location serves the same classic menu you can find across the U.S. There’s still a drive-through lane outside, too.
9061 Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30), North Huntingdon, Pa.
Just outside of Pittsburgh, you’ll find a McDonald’s location that boasts much more than a restaurant.
North Huntingdon’s McDonald’s is home to the beloved Big Mac Museum, a celebration of the iconic burger and its legacy, which began when it was introduced in the Pittsburgh area in the late 1960s. The museum boasts countless pieces of McDonald’s memorabilia, as well as information plaques describing the company’s history. You can even pose for a photo in front of the world’s largest Big Mac.
Museum admission is free, but you’ll need to pay for any food if you get hungry. The North Huntingdon location is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, according to its store page on the McDonald’s website.
600 N. Clark St., Chicago, Ill.
Back in Chicago, this McDonald’s location offers a futuristic take on the ever-popular chain.
The roughly 19,000-square-foot location opened in August 2018 and is regarded as “the Chicago Flagship of McDonald’s.” It is fitted with a green roof to emphasize the company’s sustainability efforts, and the solar panels are expected to generate around 60% of the restaurant’s electricity needs.
The more modern take on the fast-food chain took the place of Chicago’s iconic “Rock ‘N’ Roll” McDonald’s, which first opened in 1983. The gimmicky restaurant was once fitted with music memorabilia to offer a rock-themed tourist attraction. It was immortalized in song when Wesley Willis released “Rock N Roll McDonalds” in 1995.
18423 U.S. Route 20, Goshen, Ind.
This medieval-themed truck stop in Goshen, Ind., boasts plenty of amenities, including McDonald’s and Subway restaurants. While the menu is not unique, this location resembles a castle out of a knight’s tale.
The Gallops truck stop, located at the intersection of U.S. Route 15 and Route 20, opened nearly a decade ago. Its owner told a local newspaper it hoped to combine an all-inclusive service with a flashy concept.
“I was always fascinated by the regal-looking buildings,” Harpreet “Monte” Singh, the truck stop’s owner, told The Goshen News in 2014. “And just like fashions keep coming back, I just wanted to do something new. It was a concept that came in my mind and I just wanted to work on it. We just wanted to get all the things like gasoline, diesel, fast food, convenience items, beer and wine.”
5425 N. Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio
Although this Cincinnati McDonald’s may look ordinary, it played an enormous role in launching one of the company’s most beloved products.
Lou Groen opened the restaurant in 1959, founding the first McDonald’s in all of Ohio. His claim to fame, though, was developing the Filet-O-Fish sandwich that has captivated the chain restaurant’s customers ever since. The sandwich debuted in the early 1960s as the first addition to the original McDonald’s menu, offering an alternative option during Lent for Catholic diners who would not eat meat on Fridays.
Today, Monfort Heights’ McDonald’s features a memorial to Groen and the Filet-O-Fish’s history.
7352 E St. (U.S. Route 37), Sunbury, Ohio
While this McDonald’s location in Sunbury, Ohio, boasts an ordinary menu, it features a larger-than-life statue of Ronald McDonald outside that is sure to catch your attention if you drive by.
