Cold Spring McDonalds On Track To Open Next Year

(KNSI)—The Cold Spring City Council approved the construction of a new McDonald’s fast-food restaurant Wednesday.

It will be located at the site of the former Hardees on 3rd Street South/Highway 23. Administrator Kris Dockendorf tells KNSI News that the burger joint has been in the works for almost a year. “We’ve been working with their architects and engineers for, I’m going to guess, about nine or 10 months already, kind of behind the scenes, looking at the site, looking at our ordinances, making sure it was viable.”

Dockendorf notes most of the time was spent dealing with people from the area or the region and nothing like what you might expect for a multinational corporation that operates over 40,000 locations worldwide. “I actually didn’t talk with anybody from McDonald’s Corporation until somebody came to our planning commission meeting last week, and then somebody came tonight. It’s been just like working with any other engineering or architectural firm.”

A company official estimated a fall 2025 opening for the location. The restaurant will be just under 5,000 square feet and offer drive-through and curbside pickup options. Several council members brought up the possibility of the restaurant having late hours or even being open throughout the night. They were told that is a possibility if sales are strong enough.

The nearest McDonald’s locations are in St. Joseph and Waite Park.

___