If you’re a Moree local, or you’ve driven through the town in the last couple of weeks, you may have noticed that their McDonald’s is looking a little shinier and more modern.
Thanks to a $3.6 million refurbishment and renovation, the takeaway giant, which has been a part of the Moree landscape since 1994, has a brand-new lease on life.
Licensee Mick Young, along with his wife Ashley, have been running the Moree store since 2019.
“I just love the brand,” said Mr Young, “I’ve been working for Maccas since I was 14 so I’m coming up for my 30-year anniversary.”
“Ashley and I have travelled around the country working our way up to our dream of becoming owner operators – Ashley is from Inverell originally so when the opportunity came up to take on the Moree store, we jumped on it.”
The Moree store, which hosted its grand reopening on May 25, not only looks a lot better, but also boasts a new dual lane drive thru, kitchen, playground, meeting or party room and a McCafe.
“We work in partnership with McDonald’s to decide when’s the right time for a renovation,” said Mr Young.
“And we get a lot of say in what’s right for the community and what suits the area in terms of décor and colour palette.”
When asked what the significance of having a fast-food giant like McDonald’s is in a town like Moree, Mr Young says there’s a lot of positives.
“At a very basic level it’s a convenient option, where locals and travelers can access a meal or a coffee outside of normal trading hours,” he said.
“But we’re also a huge part of the local economy, at the moment we employ on average around 60 to 70 people, flexible rosters and first jobs can be tricky to come by in regional towns but we can offer both those things.”
“My favourite part is the fact that we get to be so involved with the local sporting groups because regional sport is such a huge thing for our community.”
As licensees, the Youngs have been heavily involved in a number of different sporting codes, from kids sporting teams, through to little athletics, soccer, cricket and basketball.
“Some of the teams, like the Moree Boars, we act as major sponsorship partners for, and then some of the other smaller teams, and kids’ sports, we help out by providing uniforms and new equipment when they need it,” said Mr Young.
“We also attend some of the major sporting events in the area for fundraising as well, for example, we recently attended the local junior soccer tournament and ran the canteen there. That raised around $3500 for the Tamworth Chapter of the Ronald McDonald House.”
The much-updated Moree Maccas is now open, and fully operational and Mr Young said he was overwhelmed by the support of the community on Grand Opening Day.
“The Grand Opening was a huge day for us, we were so thankful to all the locals that came down and made the day a great success.”
Like what you’re reading? Support The New England Times by making a small contribution today and help us keep delivering local news paywall-free. Support now