After 57 years of business on the University of Minnesota campus, the Dinkytown McDonald’s has closed its doors, according to signage posted around the building.
Following a yearslong battle over its fate, the McDonald’s located on the corner of Fourth Street Southeast and 15th Avenue Southeast has been closed for construction. Although the existing structure is slated to be demolished, the restaurant is expected to reopen on the ground floor of the CA Ventures apartment development.
Construction on the apartment complex is expected to begin in summer of next year, pending approval from the city.
Jermel Spears, a supervisor and general manager at the Dinkytown McDonald’s, declined to comment on the closure of the establishment.
This is a breaking news report. More information may be added as it becomes available.
Lollipop
Mar 10, 2021 at 11:15 pm
NO such thing. Minimum wage increases cause low income rent to increase until almost no one can afford it. Sadly only people making minimum wage get an increase in salary, but everyone, including people on a fixed income have to pay the insane new prices.
Lollipop
Mar 10, 2021 at 11:13 pm
Yeah right. We should blame Reagan for what is happening in 2021. No one wants social services. No one wants the government giving us some free slop healthcare, or free slop places to live. Its the government taxing small businesses to death and raising the minimum wage so they close down that makes this happen. Democrats HATE the middle class and do everything to destroy them. Maybe you should ask yourself why just about every super wealthy creep from Jeff Bezos, to Zuckerberg, to the super wealthy in Hollywood all support Democrats.
Tamara Baker
Dec 18, 2020 at 6:04 am
Blame the massive 1980s Reagan tax cuts for the rich. People wanted social services but the states couldn’t pay for them without the Feds helping, so state colleges were the first to feel the pinch.
A Gopher
Dec 17, 2020 at 3:54 pm
I grew up in one those houses so if you prefer cockroaches and mice I’m sure it suits you fine. The students vote with their pocket books, or rather their parent’s do, and you can go live in squalor elsewhere. Old and dilapidated does not equal character. I live in and maintain a 108 year-old house so I understand preserving something of value, many of these rental properties just off campus are nearly tear-down level pieces of trash.
Zach Powell
Dec 16, 2020 at 3:43 pm
I’d rather live in those Como clapboard houses than live with your corporate self. It is people like you removing all sense of character from the city.
Joshua Nathan
Dec 16, 2020 at 9:19 am
That was a thorough and thoughtful comment and I couldn’t argue with anything you said. Quite reasonable. And I admire your principles. Perhaps I am too jaded.
But for an old McDonalds though? Your high minded ideals deserve better, me thinks.
Thomas Oss
Dec 16, 2020 at 9:17 am
in 1970 walked past it daily to go to the Newman center for free will donation natural food meals…
A Gopher
Dec 16, 2020 at 9:15 am
The simple truth is that students want this type of housing or they wouldn’t subsidize further development by living in these places. Also, look at the alternative, a bunch of crumbling, clapboard houses along Como Ave with similarly high rent but zero luxury amenities and a poorer location. Development is a constant, don’t sound like a nostalgic dinosaur bemoaning “how it used to be” in urban reality you’re either growing or you’re decaying. I, for one, prefer to see growth and renewal as I’ve seen enough decay growing up over North Minneapolis, which if you students want to live your woke truth the rents are very low!
FineFriendMN
Dec 15, 2020 at 2:53 pm
The anti-car bias will harm us. Now, cars line up 10 at a time in front of Canes along University, blocking a lane or two… A Dinkytown drive-thru is needed, but development hasn’t accommodated this. Yet we shoehorn in another overpriced apartment with the closure of the McDonalds.
Richard Gozinya
Dec 15, 2020 at 7:50 am
I looked a few things up because I am a curious person. The small business administration defines restaurants as a small businesses if they have less than 100 employees and less than 10 million dollars per year in sales. According to McDonald’s corporation the average McDonald’s franchise generates 2.7 million dollars per year in annual sales. So although I can’t been certain it’s likely this is considered to be a small business.
Ripley Sawzen
Dec 15, 2020 at 12:53 pm
Sad to see it go but that’s progress.
Chris
Dec 15, 2020 at 12:52 pm
If they’re smart, they’re all set up under separate legal entities to shield each one from liability from the others.
Chris
Dec 15, 2020 at 12:52 pm
Unfortunately, without significant government subsidies, it’s not affordable to build low-income housing. These apartments are likely to cost over $200,000 per unit to built. The mortgage for that one unit will be almost $1000/month. That’s why apartments are so expensive.
Matthew Mitchell
Dec 15, 2020 at 11:34 am
There does need to be a third party in congress. Alot of these issues this country has cant get resolved because anything one party proposes the other rejects simply because it’s the other party.
Greg Kjos
Dec 15, 2020 at 11:33 am
The average McDonald’s franchisee owns six stores. I would bet that they fall under one umbrella
Joshua Nathan
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:34 am
Mayor McCheese is so not getting my vote again!
Joshua Nathan
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:34 am
I can totally understand how this makes people feel sad. I myself have a soft spot for old fast food places. For college kids especially, these reliable, run down hamburger places are a part of happy memories of being young, stoned, and having the future in front of you.
But some of these comments are just… wacky. The trend in expensive campus housing (for wealthy foreign students and increasingly wealthy Americans as the rich-poor divide widens) has been going on for years, and impacts college towns across the nation. Are you really going to blame Gov. Waltz for this? Obama? Might as well criticize Mayor McCheese while you’re at it.
winfred
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:34 am
Yes! The small businesses, I read, are the real back-bone of the economy! McDonald’s is no small business… but at last resort I went to them late at night in Dinkytown, and when I was in Manhattan they had close to their regular prices. I was getting heat exhaustion walking and wow the air conditioning and a cool beverage at McDonald’s saved me! I was very low budget and carried my own food for the day too. They are shutting small businesses down, Walz and the Dems too, and doing nothing to help, including students. They just bailed out Wall Street again with a trillion, Dems voting it in too, and voting down the stimulus money for the people, and voting down pulling out of Afghanistan… One example is several family owned pharmacies in St. Paul were bought up by the big CVS Pharmacy. In Europe they CoVid19 compensate small businesses 90%, in Canada 75%, in Japan 100%, and they are not having CoVid19 economic crises we are having. IMO I really feel both Democrats and Republicans are not serving the people, they are serving the big corporate entities and the wealthy. I feel we need a third or more political parties. Spain’s election went just fine and they have six political parties. It shows how the US is a failed state. We are an impoverished and failing country with the lines for food getting longer and more homeless tents! The low tonight will be 16 degrees! I think homeless are dying here and they keep it out of the news!
winfred
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:33 am
I’m 66 yrs old and U of MN is my alma mater (well the world is my alma mater ha) and was a student from 1978 to 1983 and all before the big corporate take over to take advantage of students. I lived with as many as 7 other students in an old house. We each had our own nice bedrooms and shared the rest, and 2 bathrooms with one shower. I paid I think it was $95 a month. We split the utilities which wasn’t bad. I saved everyone and asked the landlord if we could park cars in the yard and create parking areas with “class 5” gravel (has clay and sand in it too). He said that was fine. I motivated a few to help spread it all with spade shovels. We sold all slots right away! The parking almost paid for everything! Plus I motivated a few of them to put shrink wrap on all the windows. I insulated parts of the basement with foam packing I found with my night custodial job in the basement. We did fantastic with very low cost living… I can’t remember… I think we all paid about $25 including utilities a month. Back then it was 30 days notice to move out! There were many families that rented rooms and whole houses you could rent. I feel sorry for students of today. Back then it was easy to get financial aid, although it didn’t cover everything. I was foolish and worked a night job 20 hrs a week. I did such a nice job my boss let me study if I was caught up with my custodial work. It wasn’t Nirvana, or Valhalla in that coed house ha! Even so I lived there 6 yrs. It’s now a parking lot. At one point I was going to move out and even looked at an apartment on Como near the St. Paul campus that was brand new and under construction. I met with the owner. The size of the space that would be mine was real small! He was a rude suit and tie exec and I could tell it was probably a sign of what was to come, and sadly I am right. It all looks so redundant, the architecture. Cheap construction and high rent, and no help for students, including the “wonderful” Obama, not a dime for students, only loans! Very sad and what you say is so true Kara!
mfnickster
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:33 am
Dinkytown isn’t so dinky anymore.
(yes, I know it’s named after railroad cars and not its size 🙂
mfnickster
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:33 am
The big McFish eat the little McFish.
Joe Polach
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:32 am
MacDonalds/small business: lol.
Joe Polach
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:32 am
How about low-income apartments?
Guts, The Black Swordsman
Dec 15, 2020 at 9:17 am
Calling it now, its gonna be be a 3 story with the eyesore earth toned paint job like 90 percent of that city lol
rebeltoady
Dec 15, 2020 at 9:17 am
Dinkytown is vanishing.
Chris Lautenschlager
Dec 15, 2020 at 9:16 am
Having been part of the conversations for the three incarnations of this development for the past 18 months, I don’t think I’m making assumptions. Yes, it is a franchise, but McDonald’s (the head, not the franchise) still can call the shots about the land that they own. They still can call the shots about the building itself, even if it is “franchise-owned.”
amy raleigh
Dec 15, 2020 at 9:16 am
Yup because if you know anything about Mcds is that the CORPORATION owns the land the franchise Mcds in on. That’s how they made so much money under Crock
Sol Have It All
Dec 15, 2020 at 9:16 am
The sarcasm completely passed by…
amy raleigh
Dec 15, 2020 at 9:16 am
Not true when I worked at Mcds as a teen our was owned by a family in Circle Pines that owned only one other location. They were the managers of the restaurants as well
Duane Delperdang
Dec 15, 2020 at 8:29 am
Franchises are generally owned by a conglomerate that holds many franchises. Not likely to be covid or Walz related.
Duane Delperdang
Dec 15, 2020 at 8:29 am
McDonalds small business? Lol did you know they have more than one location?
mfnickster
Dec 15, 2020 at 7:50 am
This is big business, as in property development. Corporations have destroyed more small businesses in Dinkytown than Walz or COVID could ever dream of .
Richard Gozinya
Dec 15, 2020 at 7:26 am
I don’t know because it’s not in the article but if this mcdonalds is a franchise it’s a small business. Sounds like you are making a lot of assumptions based on you own political beliefs. From the article we simply don’t know why they sold the property
zaptoid
Dec 15, 2020 at 5:28 am
Little mom n’ pop shop. Lol
Chris Lautenschlager
Dec 15, 2020 at 2:00 am
McDonald’s was trying to sell this property in 2019, and through 2020, completely outside of COVID issues. Second, McDonald’s is the first tenant in the new building, because…ta da…they sold their property to this developer in order to lessen their responsibility and maximize their profit. This is not small business, this is big business playing the game.
Emily Brooks
Dec 15, 2020 at 1:40 am
Did you read the article? Its reopening in a different location. McDonald’s will probably be one of the only options left to eat at when this is all over. jfc.
Thomas B
Dec 15, 2020 at 1:13 am
The insanity of Gov. Walz continues. Just keeps shutting down small busoness.
Sina Roughani
Dec 14, 2020 at 10:31 pm
What am I going to do at 3am on Tuesday, October 12th 2021 then? The Burger King? This is outrageous!
Kara Condon
Dec 14, 2020 at 9:14 pm
Extremely sad. We don’t need more insanely expensive apartments 🙁