‘Something different’: Inside the new look for Dumbarton McDonald’s

The fast-food restaurant in St James Retail Park has been closed for six weeks amid ongoing refurbishments to give the outlet a ‘fresh’ new feel.

The Reporter was given access to the restaurant before it officially opened on October 1 at 11am.

Franchise owner Marc Shenken was there before the grand opening to liaise with the crew and make sure the finishing touches were completed.

(Image: david mollison) (Image: david mollison) He said: “Opening back up is going to be brilliant. We've been shut for just over six weeks, and this is a really busy store. People love coming here and we've got a great team.

“The store was looking tired. It's been about 10 years since it last been done up.

“The design scheme was really dark and dull. I think people are going to be really impressed with the new décor.”

Pictures taken show a new colour scheme and refreshed furniture.

The new layout brightens the formerly dim seating area giving the appearance of a larger space.

Marc (left) and his team (Image: david mollison) (Image: david mollison) One of the biggest new feature is a delivery room which will separate drivers from the main area by providing them with their own entrance and exit, a screen for picking up orders and charging points for their devices.

The delivery room features a separate entrance and waiting area (Image: Supplied) Marc explained: “We've increased the kitchen capacity by a third so we can get food out faster, the drive-through should move faster and when you come into the store, you can get served in a faster and nicer environment.

“One of the things I think people will notice the most and will be quite excited about is when they come in to either take out or sit in, they're not going to see any delivery drivers in the dining area because we've got a separate delivery room.

“All the delivery drivers will go in there and that's where they get their orders from.

“It will be a much quieter and much more traditional McDonald's experience, which I think people will love.”

Another big feature may not be so clear to the public but one that is set to be enjoyed by the crew.

The renewed staff room has promised to create a happier environment for staff.

Marc said: “One of the big parts of the refurb which won't be open to the customers is we completely ripped out and refreshed the crew room, the crew toilets and the changing areas. It's a completely different experience for them now.

“They've got fridges in the crew room, microwaves, TVs, and new lockers.

“It'll still be busy. It'll still be stressful, but we can do it in a nice and friendly environment.”

Marc who owns four McDonald’s across Glasgow in Anniesland, Balloch, Dumbarton and Great Western Retail Park has praised the ‘patience’ of Balloch residents who received a 30 per cent increase in visitors because of the Dumbarton closure.

He said: “I have to acknowledge and be grateful for the residents of Balloch who have had a lot of customers that would normally have come here over the last six weeks.

“We tried to serve those customers as quickly as we could to keep the traffic down as much as possible.”