Joe David compared a McDonald’s his son just opened near Spring Hill to the one his own father opened in 1962 near Clearwater High School.
“This new store is on a different planet,” said the 63-year-old owner of 12 McDonald’s.
Under neon golden arches, his father’s store sold burgers for 15 cents, fries for a dime. There was only walk-up window service, no dining room or drive-through.
His son’s store, a prototype McDonald’s on Spring Hill Drive by the Suncoast Parkway in Hernando County, comes fully loaded with extras that have been spreading across the chain the past few years: a double drive-through loaded with enough technology to get lines of motorists in and out in an average of 2.5 minutes, a menu aimed at silencing nutritionists with some healthier choices, and a parade of new items that soon will extend to hot oatmeal 24/7.
