The folks who fought the incursion of a McDonald’s in central Lakewood have resoundingly lost their battle: The historic Detroit Theatre is being reduced to rubble to make way for Ronald’s empire.
But there is some poetic justice to be had: The new McDonald’s on Detroit Avenue spells the end of the old McDonald’s tucked in a side street on the western end of town. And rising in its place will be a new annex for Nature’s Bin, the local health-food store dedicated to undoing the dietary harm rendered by Happy Meals. Located just up the street from the doomed McDonald’s, Nature’s Bin will use the Golden Carcass to step up its catering business.
“We will be on the healthier side of things for people who want a vegan bridal shower or vegetarian wedding, as well as gluten-free,” says executive director Scott Duennes. “It doesn’t all taste like cardboard anymore.”
The old McDonald’s will become Nature’s Bin’s main kitchen, allowing for up to six foodservice workers to be trained at a time through its Cornucopia program, which helps ready disabled people for jobs.
McDonald’s has been peachy about the deal, and Duennes estimates it will take only $800,000 to buy the building and all the equipment in it, outfit the space for the disabled, and create offices in what is now the dining room. The old McDonald’s is expected to close in late fall, and the new Nature’s Bin kitchen should be up and catering by early next year.
This article appears in May 16-22, 2012.
McDonald’s should donate the building and equipment, it’s for a good cause!! Or, at the very least, give it to them for a lot cheaper, that’s an older building!
I leave Lakewood for a few years (ok 35) and they tear down The Detroit Theater for a Mc Donalds! Next they will be putting Mc Donalds in hospitals. Oh wait, there is one where I work, across from the heart hospital at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis.
Lakewood tries SO HARD to be cool…But…At the end of the day their just as corporate as Strongsville or Lyndhurst…
Kent they are not…
Nice job on the Detroit Theatre…
Who ever wrote this article on Nature’s Bin needs a real education on how to report and should be fired.Mcdonald’s employ’s hundred’s of thousands of people. They are not the bad people here. It is people like the reporter who are the problem in this Country. I am thankful in this economy that they purchased the old theater site. It is better they build a new building there rather than it become an eysore like the Hillard Square Theater on Franklin. It is tax revenue for the city and employment for the people.