This McDonald’s playground is coming down, and it won’t be returning

The PlayPlace at the McDonald’s on Highway 395 and 27th Avenue in Kennewick has met its demise.

The source of hours of fun was torn down last week as part of $1 million overhaul of the restaurant.

“We have another store just down the road that has a PlayPlace, and it didn’t make financial sense to have another one so close,” said Scott Adams, who runs family-owned Adams Enterprises along with his brother Lee Adams.

Kennewick-based Adams Enterprise has operated McDonald’s franchises for 47 years with 16 currently under their umbrella — 10 of them in Tri-Cities.

The McDonald’s three miles away at Highway 395 and Kennewick Avenue still has a playground.

The current remodel is part of a project to replace or renovate all but one of their restaurants.

The only McDonald’s to remain untouched is on Wellsian Way and Aaron Drive by the Richland Fred Meyer. Adams said no decisions have been made when that overhaul will begin or whether it will be rebuilt or renovated.

More efficient

The McDonald’s near the Kennewick Walmart s coming in line with others that make getting the fast food even faster.

“We will have a complete new look,” Adams said. “We want to keep current and enhance the appeal to a younger generation.”

The one lane drive-thru is being replaced with two lanes — the last in Tri-Cities to make that transition, he said..

That upgrade will close the restaurant altogether for the next three weeks. After the outside is done, the restaurant will reopen to drive-thru guests only while the interior is finished. The project won’t be complete until November.

While indoor dining is allowed under state coronavirus rules in Benton and Franklin counties at 25 percent capacity, Adams says that his company is choosing to currently allow only take-out at its locations.

Adams Enterprises will not permit inside dining even when construction is done because of the risks associated with COVID-19. He said that they are taking a wait-and-see approach depending on the pandemic and vaccine.

“We have elected to proceed with caution. I’m not excited to be the first one out there,” Adams said. “It is not only for the safety of the customer but also for our employees.”

While the pandemic delayed the remodel kick-off from March until September, it didn’t permanently halt it.

“This is our way of keeping the local economy going,” Adams said.

Going digital

One of the major shifts is how customers will be getting their food. The second lane will make the drive-through faster and customers have been increasingly using the app.

The app allows customers to order and pay for food, then either go through the drive-thru to get it, pick it up inside or have someone bring the food out with a simple click to say, “I’m here.”

“It’s nice to have the technology to continue to grow,” he said. “It really speeds things up when you don’t have to take a payment or an order.”

Self-serve ordering kiosks will be installed inside, similar to other locations nationwide.

What’s next? Adams said that McDonald’s Corp. is working on new technology to ease ordering even further. He says he imagines the new system will be particularly appealing to those who want to sit and not stand in line — especially those with a few antsy kids.

The technology will let customers order and pay for food digitally while seated, and staff will bring it straight to the table.

This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 5:30 AM.