The McDonald's on Old York Road is Back

The McDonald’s restaurant on Old York Road is back after roughly a 6-month hiatus.

On Friday, McDonald’s management, including owner Tanya Hill-Holliday, and community leaders such as Pastor Jerome Coleman and State Rep. Josh Shapiro, held a dedication for the new building.

The restaurant, which was razed in May, is new from the ground up. Gone is the ball pit, as well as the cumbersome two-tiered parking lot and the bench featuring a statue of Ronald McDonald. The new restaurant showcases bright windows, an updated floor plan and a few vintage pictures of the Abington Fire Co.

“It’s a special day for Abington,” Hill-Holliday said prior to the dedication. “We have a brand new restaurant with themes from Abington Township. It’s now a vibrant, uplifting, community-meeting place. The old building was 40 years old, and the renovations were a long time coming.”

Perhaps the best feature of the new restaurant is its improved accessibility from Old York Road. The driveway openings appear to be better with improved visibility. The outside of the restaurant is also easier on the eyes, with a stone façade and a long golden arch.

Hill-Holliday, a West Philadelphia resident, purchased the restaurant in December 2008. She said she started working for McDonald’s 28 years ago, as she needed a part time job to get her through Morgan State University. Hill-Holliday worked herself up the ladder, holding 13 positions over that period of time and now owns seven restaurants.

Shapiro lauded Hill-Holliday for her role in the update and called her a “job creator.”

“This is extraordinary,” Shapiro said. “Regardless of whatever faith we have, we can all agree [that] this is going to be a place to gather as a community and this is going to be a place where families can come together and laugh and families  can come together and share stories, at a time that quite frankly is tough for many families.”