Over the summer, the McDonald’s at Stonestown Galleria closed down after 30 years of operation.
The iconic fast food restaurant was a staple for students and shoppers who will miss the convenience and memories of the location.
Sean Dowd ’27 shared, “I am sad this location closed. I would go there after school with friends all the time.”
The closure was sudden and unexpected by customers. Up until the closing, the branch was packed with lines full.
Though the opposite was true for the owner of the location, Scott Rodrick.
“The decision to close the restaurant was a long and difficult one for my family […] First, the landlord was unwilling to negotiate a long term, sensible rent for the location despite our exceptional three decade history. The property taxes and shared tenant mall fees alone were the highest paid for a single location in my entire company. Secondly, the costs of operating a restaurant in the City of San Francisco continue to accelerate to historically high levels,” Rodrick told The Crusader via email.
Problems also arose with California’s raise of entry level wages when they went up 25 percent on April 1 earlier this year, causing the cost of operating the location to soar much higher than before.
Thankfully, every employee at the location was offered a job.
“All of my employees, many who have been with me for years, were offered opportunities to transfer to positions in other nearby McDonald’s. I am grateful that the vast majority of team members are continuing on with my family,” Rodrick said.
Stonestown is not the only location in the city to close over the years. In the past 20 years, over 10 different locations have stopped operation.
According to McDonalds.com, there are currently nine locations in San Francisco: 1100 Fillmore St., 302 Potrero Ave., 441 Sutter St., 609 Market St., 2801 Mission St., 345 Bayshore Blvd., 5411 3rd St., 5454 Mission St., and the one near Archbishop Riordan at 1201 Ocean Ave.
Notably, over the years, locations in the Excelsior, the Haight, Front Street in Downtown SF, Fisherman’s Wharf and one on Van Ness Avenue have all closed within the past 10 years.
Drive-thru restrictions and lease costs all contributed to the reduced number of locations.
The lease for McDonald’s expired at the end of June. Stonestown is looking to repurpose the space.
