Centre County’s sixth McDonald’s restaurant is ready to open its doors.
The fast-food giant’s new location at the intersection of Paradise Road and Benner Pike in Benner Township will hold a soft opening beginning Thursday, June 27, and a grand opening celebration on July 18, a spokesperson for central Pennsylvania McDonald’s franchisee Joe Nyanko told StateCollege.com.
McDonald’s 4,285-square-foot restaurant joins the Giant supermarket in the Paradise Shopping Center.
Hours for the location will be 6 a.m. to midnight, and it is expected to employ more than 50 staff members, the spokesperson said.
The grand opening celebration at 9 a.m. on July 18 will feature a ribbon-cutting, appearances by Grimace and the Hamburglar and punch cards good for a free Big Mac every month for a year for the first 100 customers through the door.
Other special events in July will include $5 Arch Cards for the first 50 curbside customers from 2 to 5 p.m. on July 20 and 4 to 6 p.m. on July 24. Coffee with Fire and EMS from 6 to 9 a.m. on July 22 will include five free coffee coupons for each participating customer, and Coffee with a Cop from 6 to 9 a.m. on July 30 will offer the same.
The first 100 customers through the door on July 28 will receive a punch card good for a free Happy Meal every month for a year, and Grimace and the Hamburglar will again be on hand.
The Benner Township McDonald’s is Nyanko’s 15th in central Pennsylvania, including four in the State College area and one in Milesburg.
“It starts with hiring great employees and taking care of them well,” Nyanko said in a provided statement. “If we put our people first, they can put the customers first. I’m really looking forward to serving up smiles to the folks who have been long-term neighbors and friends.”
McDonald’s is part of the ongoing commercial growth along the Benner Pike corridor in Benner Township, where it joins established businesses such as Rutter’s, Sheetz, Dunkin’ and Giant.
Directly across Paradise Road, a developer is looking to build the first Centre County Arby’s in more than a decade. A short distance north, Wawa has submitted plans for one of its first Centre County locations near the Eagle Point intersection, across from rival Sheetz.
Construction is also getting underway on two new hotels: a 98-room Tru by Hilton next to G.M. McCrossin and across from Bellefonte Lanes; and a dual brand Avid Hotel and Candlewood Suites at the intersection of Amberleigh Lane and Benner Pike.
