Story & video: Out with old eatery, in with new

A handful of people showed up to watch the old McDonald’s building on Swanson Avenue get torn down and dumped into 11 roll-off dumpsters Wednesday. The demolition began about 6:30 a.m. A chain-link fence ringed the property to keep onlookers at bay.

Lake Havasu City residents and McDonald’s fans Jerome Kristof and Josh Claxton, both 19, arrived shortly after 6 a.m. in a nearby parking lot to see the show. The duo woke about 5:30 a.m. and traveled north to McDonald’s at The Shops at Lake Havasu to order breakfast to go, which they munched on as the tear down began.

Kristof and Claxton said the ironic idea to eat McDonald’s food as a McDonald’s was being demolished came to them Tuesday night. Rising at the early hour was out of the norm for both of them, but they said Wednesday it was a special occasion.

The fast-food restaurant closed its doors Sunday night and began clearing out equipment Monday to prepare for the Wednesday demolition, according to earlier reports.

The old McDonald’s had existed for 32 years in that location. Owner Abe Martinez, who has owned the well-known local fast-food stop since 2000, plans to build a bigger and better eatery in its place. The project is expected to be complete in about 100 days, earlier reports said.

You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.