The McDonald's restaurant at Chillicothe and Chagrin roads in Bainbridge Township will soon add a second drive-through and make other improvements if plans are approved…
The McDonald’s restaurant at Chillicothe and Chagrin roads in Bainbridge Township will soon add a second drive-through and make other improvements if plans are approved by the township’s Board of Zoning Appeals, trustees learned Monday.
Jim Potocek of Larsen Architects gave a PowerPoint presentation of proposed changes to the busy 20-year-old restaurant, including adding a second drive-through to cut down on long waits and congestion.
Potocek told trustees recent studies have determined the percentage of customers using the drive-through, located at a busy freeway entrance, has steadily increased and the number of customers using the parking lot has gone down.
That has resulted in frequent back-ups and congestion as people wait in line to order their burgers and egg mcmuffins.
“There is a drive-through bottleneck, and sometimes people will see the line and choose to go elsewhere,” he told trustees.
McDonald’s owner Margo Karos would like to add a second drive-through, popular at many other McDonalds in the area, and close the existing side entrance, adding a main entrance in the front of the building, the architect told trustees.
“This will be a lot more convenient and speed up the process,” Potocek told trustees. “Two orders can be taken simultaneously and you can actually cycle people through very quickly.”
Cameras will show which vehicle is making which order, which will keep confusion at a minimum, he added.
Handicapped parking will be moved to the north side of the restaurant, which the architect said will be “safer, closer and flatter.”
A current waiting area will be widened to allow other traffic to drive by. Other changes to the parking lot will eliminate nine existing spaces, but will improve traffic flow and add about 118 square feet of additional green space, he added.
The building’s trim will be painted and the menu boards will be expanded to make it easier to change from breakfast to lunch service.
Karos said that, once the plan is approved and permits issued, she hopes to make the changes by spring.
“I’ve worked over a year on this plan,” she told trustees.
Trustee Jeff Markley said traffic is often a tight squeeze at the restaurant, especially at the entrance off Chagrin Road.
Trustee Chris Horn said he often sees large trucks parked in the front driveway, which he called a chronic “pain.”
“It’s it possible to address that?” Horn asked Karos, who acknowledged that landscaping vehicles and trucks parking in the driveway are a frequent problem, but there was no way she could expand that area because she owns no more land there.
Trustees said they were happy to see the congestion problem being addressed.
“I’m fine with this,” Markley said.
Benza added, “I think we’re in general agreement; it looks pretty good.”
Township Zoning Inspector Karen Endres said the proposed upgrades will be on the BZA agenda for its October meeting.
