Plans call for the new McDonald’s restaurant on Mississippi 7 to open by the end of 2012.
The real estate deal has not been finalized yet, although some preliminary contracts with McDonald’s have been completed, said owner-operator Michael Retzer, CEO of Retzer Resources in Green-ville. Fulfilling the legal requirements can take a while, but things look good, he said.
Retzer said such a restaurant normally can be built in 100 to 110 days. As soon as they can arrange a groundbreaking, they can be more precise about the timetable, but they hope to open by the fourth quarter of 2012, he said.
“We’re excited about it,” he said. “It’s a good side of town to be on.”
Retzer owns and operates 29 McDonald’s restaurants in Arkansas and Mississippi. These include the one on U.S. 82 in Greenwood, which employs about 90 people and is doing well, he said.
The new location will be more comparable to the McDonald’s in Indianola and probably will employ 60 to 70, he said. Three people currently working in other McDonald’s locations are in the running to manage it, and they’re excellent candidates, he said.
The restaurant will be 1,500 to 1,800 feet smaller than the U.S. 82 location because it won’t have a PlayPlace, a feature that the company has been moving away from, he said.
The other specific features of the restaurant are evolving, but Retzer said it will have a dual-lane drive-through.
