It’s a scene that has been repeated on a loop every semester for nearly six decades, with only the outfits and slang ever changing. McChickens scarfed with schnockered ferocity far-flung crews smushed together alongside one another in plastic booths the cacophonous din of so much brainless, ecstatic drunk talk rivers of illicit vodka nips and smuggled beers and, of course, the saintly workers who mopped up puke like it was Valleyfair. Following Varsity Theater shows or after bars emptied out, the deep-fried chaos felt electric. on a Saturday, the throwback dining room transformed into something resembling a nightclub. And, as the clock approached midnight, the two-story restaurant resembling a frumpy wizard’s hat became a booze-soaked funhouse – laughs, fights, makeout sessions, or sometimes combinations of all three.Īt 2 a.m. Come lunchtime, lines could snake out the door with hungry students and U of M workers seeking quick, cheap eats. In the morning, as is typical inside so many McDonald’s, old-timers would hold court with their coffees and physical newspapers. The utility of Dinkytown’s McDonald’s was always shifting, depending on the time of day. Don’t expect a possible Drunk Donald’s 2.0 to recapture the magic of its singular predecessor Northeasters haven’t been duped by the sleek Nye’s Polonaise Room reincarnation currently wedged into the ground floor of the development that toppled the original. Such is the legacy of the so-called “Drunk Donald’s,” which may be reimagined inside the seven-story, 300-unit development from Chicago-based CA Ventures that is expected to gobble up its footprint, as well as those belonging to nearby Dinkytown Wine & Spirits, Five Guys, Pagoda, Pizza Hut, Subway, and a TCF Bank. “A spot where myself – and every other person who attended the University of Minnesota – did some things they aren’t proud of.” “RIP to the Dinkytown McDonald’s,” tweeted local radio personality Dana Wessel. Through some strange alchemy of time, geography, and demographics, the Big Mac destination just north of the U gained a soul. Tinged with only hints of irony, the reflexive mourning witnessed across local factions of the internet proved that this was an important McDonald’s. “THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES… THANK YOU FOR 57 YEARS OF BUSINESS,” reads a sheet of printer paper now taped to the franchise’s glass door.Īs the once-quirky neighborhood becomes even more sterile, you might not expect McDonald’s closing one of its 38,000 worldwide locations to elicit an outpouring of online mourning. seared its legacy into the hazy memories of decades of University of Minnesota students. That’s where, until its expected-yet-abrupt closure Monday, the franchised McDonald’s at 407 15h Ave. Since 1963, a benign vortex of grease and alcohol in the heart of Dinkytown has marked the center of college nightlife, luring wobbly partiers to its always-aglow Golden Arches.
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