Chicago's Iconic Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's Closes For Remodel

CHICAGO, IL — The Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's in River North is closing for remodeling Dec. 30, and its franchise owner says it won't be keeping its iconic rock theme. The restaurant–located at 600 Clark Street near Portillo's–is set to reopen in the spring. The facelift is part of the restaurant chain's nation-wide plan to upgrade all McDonald's restaurants within three years.

The iconic McDonald's has been sitting on the Clark and Ontario corner since 1983. The old version was torn down and replaced in 2005, but kept its old rock memorabilia.

Franchise owner Nick Karavites told the Chicago Tribune that this time, the rock theme won't make the cut. He said the new McDonald's decor will reflect an "experience of the future" with a modern design. Karavites owns and operates 22 McDonald's restaurants in the Chicago area.

Karavites told the Tribune the memorabilia is from his personal collection and will go into storage for the time being.

The McDonald's #1 Store Museum in Des Plaines has inched closer to demolition with an application submitted to Cook County to tear the structure down later this month. McDonald's Corporation in Oak Brook has applied for demolition permits with both Cook County and Des Plaines, a city official confirmed. Once McDonald's has the county demolition permit in hand, the city is likely to issue a demolition permit.

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