McDonald's On-the-Go, only the 3rd built in USA, opens in Rockville (Photos)

The new McDonald's On-the-Go restaurant has opened at 11710 Rockville Pike in Rockville. This is only the third of this new restaurant design concept from the chain to open in the United States, with the first two having been in California and Texas. The emphasis is on takeout, delivery, and - above all else - drive-thru service. There is no indoor dining area of the type that you have come to expect from the Golden Arches, and most other traditional fast food restaurants.

However, as you've seen in my ongoing updates during the construction of the building, there is one table in the small lobby. Customers are apparently allowed to dine indoors at that table on a first-come, first-seated basis, and were doing so last evening. All other patrons were standing, awaiting their orders to be handed out from the pickup window, which replaces the traditional open counter. "Fight for $15" touchscreen kiosks likewise replace the cashiers and cash registers of the past.

The two biggest upgrades for nearby residents with this McDonald's are the addition of a drive-thru (the old McDonald's just down the street did not have a drive-thru), and the fact that the drive-thru will be open 24 hours. A 24-hour McDonald's - or a 24-hour fast food restaurant of any brand - is a rare find in moribund Montgomery County. Speaking of which, the new restaurant's debut is being initially hampered by the County's anti-business sign code, which has steadily removed and banned most of the prominent and legible roadside business signage ubiquitous in the rest of the country. There were only four customers in the lobby last night, and few cars using the drive-thru, suggesting that few people driving past were aware the McDonald's was even there or open. A typical McDonald's has a steady line of cars at the drive-thru, even during off hours. Aside from those establishments who still have grandfathered roadside signage, a large percentage of businesses along the Pike are invisible to all but the most careless rubberneckers driving by. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Montgomery County, Maryland leaders embrace their downscale future

The respective moribund economies of Montgomery County and Maryland have experienced the whiplash of rapid downscaling over the first quarter of this century. As Montgomery County fell behind even Prince George's and Culpeper Counties in job creation, dropped off the Forbes 10 Richest Counties list, and saw "Montgomery County's Rodeo Drive" fade into empty storefronts and smashed-out bus shelters, the same cartel candidates kept getting reelected. They've radically recalibrated their messaging for these bleak and desperate times by embracing the lowbrow lifestyles they once condemned. Last week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined them by announcing the only economic development victory of his term so far: the addition of 4000 McDonald's fast food restaurant jobs.

At first, many thought Moore's press conference was a stunt by The Onion. Karine Jean-Pierre might have referred to the livestream video as a "cheapfake." But it was all humiliatingly real. There stood the governor whom the media assured us in 2022 was a Wall Street wizard, and who fundraises for his political campaigns among financial oligarchs in the Hamptons and on Martha's Vineyard, touting burger flipping jobs as if he had won Amazon's HQ2 contest.

One wonders who is advising the governor these days. The Golden Arches press event only underlined what a failure Moore has been so far in attracting high-wage jobs and major corporations to the state. Surely his Rolodex must be bursting with corporate titans. Are they that convinced that Moore is such a poor leader and salesman, that they are unwilling to invest in Maryland, even while they imagine what Moore will do for their investment portfolios and offshore accounts as President of the United States in 2029?

Public reaction to the McDonald's "partnership" was decidedly disastrous. Incredulous, mocking tweets and memes populated social media timelines. Serious observers wondered why a future President of the United States, and current executive of a state, would be holding a press event more suggestive of a small town mayor rolling out a summer jobs program for disadvantaged youth. Mayor McCheese, perhaps.

Moore, who stresses his physical fitness at every Instagram opportunity, joined the Montgomery County Council in embracing a junk food future. As they have managed the decline that they themselves have brought about, the Councilmembers have done a 180 on health and fitness. A Council that once banned trans fats, forced fast food restaurants to post calorie counts, and even tried to adjudicate which products could be sold in vending machines in the county now has to promote a much different lifestyle.

Much like their flip-flop on natural gas - once calling it the clean fuel of the future, but more recently banning gas stoves and furnaces - the key for the Council is holding onto power, not ideological consistency. 

Montgomery County hasn't attracted a major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. It hasn't attracted many high-wage jobs at all, compared to Northern Virginia. Where the economic activity in Montgomery County is these days is a far cry from cutting the ribbon on Amazon HQ2 in Arlington or christening the new Northrop Grumman HQ in Falls Church. In the last few years, the Montgomery County Council has found itself holding giant pairs of shears outside of...mega gas stations and convenience stores.

Having warned voters of our leaders' incompetence for years, and now watching all of my predictions sadly come true...and being a huge fan of McDonald's...and watching the same Council that once raided a Wendy's and condemned the Baconator now spending the taxpayers' dime promoting Slurpees and Sizzli sandwiches, I have to say, "I'm lovin' it!"

A governor and County Council who should be asking questions like, "Where did we go wrong?" "Maybe we should cut taxes and spending instead of raising them?" or "Will you PLEASE move your Fortune 500 company to Montgomery County?" are instead asking, "Do you want fries with that?"

Rockville Pike McDonald's construction update (Photos)

Construction of the new McDonald's restaurant at 11710 Rockville Pike is nearing the finish line. The Golden Arches are now in place on the front facade of the building, as are the ordering screens in the two drive-thru lanes - which are currently blocked off with tape. Last week I broke the news that this will be only the third of the chain's "McDonald's On-the-Go" store concept to open in the U.S., with a focus on drive-thru, takeout, and delivery orders only, and no indoor dining room. That means you will be one of the first to experience the new concept outside of Los Angeles and Fort Worth, when this location opens.

McDonald's opening prototype store design in Rockville (Photos)

The new McDonald's at 11710 Rockville Pike in Rockville will be the third of the company's prototype store design that focuses entirely on drive-thru and takeout orders, and entirely dispenses with indoor dining. Two previous variations on the "On-the-Go" store model have opened in Forth Worth, Texas in 2022, and in Los Angeles in 2024. The Rockville store will have two drive-thru lanes outside. But inside, there is only a small lobby with touchscreen kiosks for ordering purposes. Orders are placed via the kiosks, or in advance using the McDonald's app. Instead of a wide counter with multiple cashier stations, there is only a small window cut out of the kitchen wall, where a crew member will hand out your order when it is ready, using the pickup number you received when placing the order.

This new store model solves many problems at once. It streamlines ordering, and gets pickup and delivery orders out faster. Fewer employees are needed to operate the restaurant. And the issue of loitering is virtually eliminated, since there is no place to "hang out" inside the building. While bulletproof glass would be necessary to fully "crime-proof" the restaurant, it would be more difficult for robbers and other criminals to gain direct access to the employees than at a traditional McDonald's store.

The new McDonald's was already expected to be an improvement over the nearby location that closed last year, simply because this one will have drive-thru service. But the opening will be even more exciting now that the interior construction reveals that this is a rare and new McDonald's store design that few around the country have experienced yet, and the performance of which will influence future McDonald's store designs around the country.

New Rockville Pike McDonald's now hiring (Photos)

The new McDonald's restaurant at 11710 Rockville Pike in White Flint is now hiring for all positions. Interested prospective employees can interview every Wednesday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, according to banners posted at the construction site (seen in the photos above and below). As you can see, the building is nearing completion, but there is still work to be done on the parking lot and landscaping around the exterior. Now added since my last update: the weather canopies above the two drive-thru windows.

Rockville Pike McDonald's construction advancing (Photos)

Here's a look at the progress on the new McDonald's restaurant at 11710 Rockville Pike in White Flint. New and improved, as this one - unlike the McDonald's that just closed nearby - will have drive-thru service. You can see the two drive-thru windows on the south side of the building now. Fast food restaurant construction is often measured in days or weeks, rather than the months this one has been. Another unusual aspect of this? I've never seen Home Depot protective wrap on a project like this before.

McDonald's reopens at Cabin John Mall (Photos)

A dapper Ronald McDonald is greeting customers at the remodeled McDonald's at 11301 Seven Locks Road inside Cabin John Mall in Potomac. The renovated restaurant has reopened for business with a new look, and a new interior configuration. Everything is geared toward the new normal of takeout and delivery orders being the main driver of business after the pandemic. But the updated interior design is also a welcome reward for loyal customers who fought to keep this location open when it was in danger of closing a few years ago.