HOULTON, Maine — Forty-one years after the old building with the distinct copper roof and wood-burning fireplace was built and three months after it was razed, a new McDonald’s restaurant has opened in Houlton.
Approximately 30 people attended a ribbon cutting and early preview of the new Houlton store before its official opening at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The store was supposed to open at 8 a.m., but the official opening was delayed because the store did not get the headsets that they needed to operate, according to Daryl and Heidi Abbotoni, Houlton McDonald’s owner/operators.
The new store is a bright, expansive open concept floor plan that includes a gas fireplace to replace the wood-burning one. Daryl Abbotoni said that the store “fought” to include the fireplace and three painted wood carvings that hung in the old restaurant. Due to safety code regulations, the old fireplace was not included in the new design.
A sizeable mural of the Gateway Crossing Bridge hangs just over the counter area. A word mosaic near another entrance door pays tribute to Aroostook County and the Houlton area.
The 4,900-square-foot restaurant offers customer seating for 88 and free wifi. There is new U-shaped booth seating around the fireplace as well as booth seating around the windows. Raised counter seating is offered near the lobby. Exterior features include a double lane drive-thru for faster service.
Several local and Maine businesses executed the majority of the interior and exterior construction work including plumbers, masons and contractors such as Buildings Etcetera, Inc., J. McLaughlin Construction, J.H. McPartland & Sons, Swallow’s Electric, P.D.Q. Door, Powers Roofing and Steelstone Industries, Inc. Crews began tearing down the old McDonald’s in late September and finished work ahead of schedule.
“We are eternally gratefully to the townspeople, to our dedicated employees, especially department manager Sue Blanchard, who was here for our original ribbon cutting and has worked here for 41 years,” Heidi Abbotoni said Wednesday. She also thanked all of the contractors and builders who had participated in making the project a reality.
Blanchard was called upon to officially cut the ribbon to usher in a new era of McDonald’s in Houlton.
Jane Torres, director of the Chamber of Commerce, said that McDonald’s was “a member of the family” in Houlton.
“The old building was like home,” she said, adding that many members of the community were disappointed to hear that the old one was going to be torn down, sad at the thought of losing their memories there, along with the old fireplace and the threat of the four wood carvings being put into storage. But the new restaurant will be more efficient, and the wood carvings have stayed, she said.
“The large portion of the work was done by local contractors and builders in record time,” she said. “This McDonald’s employs roughly 45 local employees, and we are certainly grateful for that. We certainly have missed our McDonald’s and would like to say a very heartfelt, welcome back.”
Darryl and Heidi Abbotoni also donated $1,000 to the Putnam House senior center across U.S. Route 1 from McDonald’s.
McDonald’s opened its doors Dec. 16, 1975, under the ownership of Ed and Dawn Degenhardt. They started their franchise experience with a location in Millinocket in 1974, with a promise from the McDonald’s corporation that a restaurant would be opened in Houlton the following year. Ed and Dawn retired from the business in 2008, with Darryl and Heidi (Degenhardt) Abbotoni taking over the franchise, which includes restaurants in Calais (added in 1980); Lincoln (1982); and Presque Isle and Caribou (purchased in 2003). The Millinocket location was sold in 2008.
