THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 21, 1995 TAG: 9503210268
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
McDonald's Corp. may develop in Hampton Roads some of its smaller ``cafe-style'' restaurants known as McDonald's Express. It already has looked at about 50 sites, a company official said.
The restaurants, which already operate in Washington and other major cities, are scaled-down versions of the standard-size restaurants, said Mary Losick, site development manager at McDonald's local headquarters in Dominion Towers in Norfolk.
The restaurants would have a reduced menu more oriented toward hamburgers, drinks and french fries. The seating would be limited. The tables would be cafe-style, like at an ice-cream parlor. The smaller, more intimate design could give the restaurants ``a coffeehouse-type atmosphere,'' Losick said.
``It's something we're actively looking to experiment with here,'' Losick said.
One site the company has considered is on Colley Avenue across from the Naro Theater. Leonard M. Newcomb III, the city's land-use regulation manager, confirmed that he had received inquiries about setting up such a McDonald's restaurant in one of the storefronts in the block of buildings which includes a laundromat. But the company would have problems with the spot because of parking requirements, Newcomb said. The storefronts there have no off-street parking.
One possible solution is the now vacant Scalco's Service Station at Colley and Spotswood Avenue a few doors down. Planning officials have floated the idea of using that property as a parking lot, in part because environmental problems may make building on the property difficult.
But Losick said that the company was no longer actively considering locating a cafe-style restaurant on Colley Avenue.
``The site isn't doable at this time,'' Losick said. ``The parking issue is really sticky.''
McDonald's Corp. may develop in Hampton Roads some of its smaller ``cafe-style'' restaurants known as McDonald's Express. It already has looked at about 50 sites, a company official said.
The restaurants, which already operate in Washington and other major cities, are scaled-down versions of the standard-size restaurants, said Mary Losick, site development manager at McDonald's local headquarters in Dominion Towers in Norfolk.
The restaurants would have a reduced menu more oriented toward hamburgers, drinks and french fries. The seating would be limited. The tables would be cafe-style, like at an ice-cream parlor. The smaller, more intimate design could give the restaurants ``a coffeehouse-type atmosphere,'' Losick said.
``It's something we're actively looking to experiment with here,'' Losick said.
One site the company has considered is on Colley Avenue across from the Naro Theater. Leonard M. Newcomb III, the city's land-use regulation manager, confirmed that he had received inquiries about setting up such a McDonald's restaurant in one of the storefronts in the block of buildings which includes a laundromat. But the company would have problems with the spot because of parking requirements, Newcomb said. The storefronts there have no off-street parking.
One possible solution is the now vacant Scalco's Service Station at Colley and Spotswood Avenue a few doors down. Planning officials have floated the idea of using that property as a parking lot, in part because environmental problems may make building on the property difficult.
But Losick said that the company was no longer actively considering locating a cafe-style restaurant on Colley Avenue.
``The site isn't doable at this time,'' Losick said. ``The parking issue is really sticky.'' by CNB