PORTAGE, MI — The golden arches are gone, with a faded outline remaining in their place, at the McDonald’s near the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.
The phone rang with no answer on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at McDonald’s, 5432 Portage Road, and orange cones blocked the driveways. No cars were lined up and no one was ordering or serving food.
A sign on the door says the location is permanently closed, directing customers to other locations.
A sign out front says “AVAILABLE,” with a number for Timothy Shank at a Michigan real estate company.
“It was a McRockin’ Cafe 30 years ago when it opened, you couldn’t get in and out of the place,” Shank said about the spot, which has changed hands between franchisees over the years. Steve Hogwood took over the operations about a year ago from another franchisee, Shank said.
Hogwood could not be reached for comment Tuesday. His name is listed as taxpayer on property records.
Shank has owned the property since 1985, he said. He leased the location to McDonald’s, Shank said, and the company worked with franchisees to run the fast-food stop.
According to Shank, McDonald’s recently informed him the company would no longer lease the property from him, starting Nov. 1. The company did not respond to questions from MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette sent Monday, Nov. 6.
On Tuesday, one of the golden “M” signs sat on the surface of a table inside the dining room. The inside menu, kiosks and other items are missing. The video drive-thru menus are also gone.
Challenges for restaurants
The McDonald’s was adjacent to an extended I-94 construction project that impacted highway and interchange traffic near the restaurant for about three years. Though the project is mostly complete now, orange barrels persist on Portage Road just north of the closed McDonald’s, as finishing touches are put on the road project.
Shank believes the construction-related traffic issue was a top challenge for the location. COVID-related issues and staffing were also factors, though not unique to that restaurant, he said. He noted he did not operate the business, and only owned the property.
Viva Fajita, across the street from the McDonald’s on Portage Road, closed in April, citing slow business.
Online reviews of the McDonald’s offer a glimpse into some of the complaints from customers, and challenges of working in a fast-food place.
“This place is a joke,” one reviewer said, complaining about an employee not paying attention to the food order and handing out the wrong food.
Another reviewer said they pulled in to the drive-thru and were told the place was closed due to staff having to take a break.
The location has accumulated dozens of one-star Google reviews in the past year, though the overall average is a 3.0, slightly below average for a Kalamazoo-area McDonald’s. For other reviews on a five-point scale, the location has a score of 1.6 on Yelp, 2.3 on Facebook, and 2.0 on TripAdvisor.
Many of the recent reviews are negative, though some others side with the staff.
“People need to wake up and realize that restaurants are extremely short on help,” a Google reviewer said, giving the location four out of five stars. “This McDonald’s does all they can to take care of their customers.”
The reviewer said he overheard a customer saying “f*** you” to an employee at the counter.
“Be happy they’re even open, to serve YOU,” the four-star reviewer said.
While that’s no longer true, the property could see new life soon. Shank said if he gets another tenant to lease the property, he expects they would change the concept.
“Restaurants come and go,” Shank said. “Concepts come and go.”
Related: Defunct members-only club transforms into restaurant open to the public
The space may no longer be serving up fries and burgers, but Shank is working to get another business in the space, he said, describing the possible change as something new for the community.
