McDonald's Gets Approval From Zoning Board for Facelift

For motorists driving down Route 9 South, there will be a familiar location with a new look in the near future following Monday night's . 

The application by a local franchise got approval to give the restaurant some more modern amenities for a fast food establishment that has been in town for close to 20 years. One of the biggest changes in addition to a brand new exterior look is a new set up for the drive thru.

Unlike the current layout, once the work is done there will actually be two side by side lines for customers to place their order in before getting their food. The plan still calls for a lane around the building allowing other customers to make an easier exit.

With more emphasis being put on the drive thru, the plan also calls for a reduction in the number of parking spots for those customers wishing to go inside. While there are currently 98 spots, that number is expected to drop to around 78. 

One of the biggest questions raised by the members of the board was the hours of operation for the restaurant. While there are some McDonald's including the one just up the road in Freehold that are open for 24 hours, the applicant said there is no plan to do that for the Howell store. 

Currently the drive thru is open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and the inside is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. While there was some discussion of having the option to open both 24 hours, there was eventually agreement that only the drive thru would have the option to stay open longer. 

Chad Adams, the Area Construction Manager for McDonald's said the Howell project is part of a trend the company is following in the area. "We're doing it in quite a number of spots," he said. Unlike the Freehold project Adams said the Howell job will have the same footprint and will allow the shop to stay open during the renovations. 

Adams said with the new look on the exterior and the side-by-side drive thru motorists will notice them as the biggest changes from the building they currently know.