Denise Watt

Those waiting to satisfy a Big Mac craving in Brookings won’t have to wait much longer to get their fix.

After closing in May, the McDonald’s on Sixth Street will re-open for business Sept. 8.

Customers will likely notice the difference in the restaurant’s appearance, including changes in seating and the addition of flat-screen TVs.

“Every area … is purposely designed,” said owner Mike Hartshorn.

Decorated in “earth tones,” the new McDonald’s features both group and bar-style seating. A new Playland area includes electronic games and television.

But the changes go beyond appearances. The restaurant will offer wireless Internet access, and move toward 24-hour drive-through operation in the next few months, Hartshorn said.

He described the changes as “just modernizing the whole thing.”

In addition to more efficient seating and more employees, the restaurant will feature a new side-by-side drive-through that allows the store to handle two orders at a time, Hartshorn said.

“It’s all electronic. It’s all visual,” he said.

The store design, nearly a year old, will become the new look for McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.

“There are very few of them out,” Hartshorn said.

The project cost $1.8 million, he said. The Sixth Street construction project provided an opportunity for renovation, which included a change in the restaurant’s entrance and exits.

“We really worked in concert with the state, the city to make it all work,” he said.

The grand opening celebration will feature giveaways, food discounts and an eventual visit from Ronald McDonald, Hartshorn said.

#1.884399:939480252.jpg:mickeyds.jpg:Construction on the McDonald’s building just off Sixth Street comes to a closeas the re-opening date nears.: