Fast food

Redwood City’s Chick-fil-A first opened in July 2020, replacing an old McDonald’s restaurant. It immediately caused traffic problems — at times, a long line of cars extended down Whipple Avenue, around the corner onto Veterans Boulevard and much of the way toward the Highway 101 off-ramp. Over the years, multiple attempts were made to alleviate the lengthy backups. These efforts helped but didn’t eliminate the troublesome traffic. Finally, after accepting that a more drastic solution was needed, Chick-fil-A proposed an all-new, longer layout for the restaurant’s drive-thru.

Early this year, Chick-fil-A received permission to implement its new design. By late summer, the restaurant had closed, and work was underway to halve the amount of on-site parking, shift the driveway apron closer to the building and push the drive-thru out to the property’s perimeter. These changes are meant to squeeze more cars into the dual-lane drive-thru and — hopefully — reduce the on-street queues. The building was also slightly expanded to improve the speed of service for those in the drive-thru lanes.

As of this week, Chick-fil-A’s building appears complete. Although the asphalt drive-thru lanes and parking have yet to be installed, much — if not all — of the concrete curbing appears to be in place. I expect Redwood City’s Chick-fil-A to be back in business quite soon — likely before the end of the year.

The Chick-fil-A project, being relatively small, will have taken less than a year from project approval to completion. Contrast that with Redwood City’s Woodside Road McDonald’s, which was gutted by fire in the early-morning hours of Aug. 7, 2022. That ruined building sat for months while the owners apparently determined whether it was better to rebuild or demolish the existing structure and construct a new one. By December, we had the answer: The owners applied for a demolition permit.

That permit was quickly approved, and within a couple of months the entire building — along with the parking lot and everything else on the property — was gone. In May, a sign was posted on the construction fencing announcing the imminent arrival of a new, more modern-looking McDonald’s, with the optimistic target date of summer 2024.

This new McDonald’s appears smaller than the old one, which makes sense given that it has been designed to focus primarily on the drive-thru. While you’ll still be able to walk inside and place an order — and possibly dine, though, it isn’t clear whether there will be indoor tables — this new restaurant will follow the model of Redwood City’s Chestnut Street McDonald’s, with a twin drive-thru to handle more cars more efficiently.

McDonald’s may have missed its deadline by a few months, but I expect the new restaurant to open very soon. For several weeks now, the building has appeared mostly complete, with most visible work shifting to the drive-thru lanes and parking lot. Late this week, I noted the lanes and lot have been paved and striped, suggesting that almost any day now fans will once again be able to get a Big Mac from the McDonald’s on Woodside Road.

Fast-food restaurants are looked down upon by some, but for many they are an important source of meals and snacks. They are also a significant source of tax dollars for our communities, so even those of us who don’t often — or ever — patronize them benefit from their presence. For fans, Redwood City’s Chick-fil-A and Woodside Road McDonald’s both appear poised to reopen soon, so keep your eyes open — you’ll likely be rewarded before the end of the year.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.