3rd McDonald’s opens in Maricopa, activities all month

Michelle Slayton started working at McDonald’s when she was 16.

The job got her through high school and college. Then it became her career.

After working her way up through management, she opened franchises in small towns in Washington. Her first supervisor became her business partner. After 39 years – and more than 25 franchises – they are still best friends and cohorts in the business.

“He opened a lot of doors for me,” she says.

In 2008, she moved to Maricopa and opened the city’s first McDonald’s, still thriving on John Wayne Parkway. That first foray into the Arizona desert “far exceeded our dreams,” she says.

Now Slayton is set to open her third Maricopa McDonald’s franchise at 41710 W. Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. The grand opening is April 10-11, and there will be festivities all month.

“Maricopa is a great family community with very nice amenities and services and has done a great job of building a city from a very small town,” Slayton says. “We are opening three locations because we want to serve our customers better and give them convenient choices.”

Though the new store is just yards away from her second Maricopa McDonald’s franchise – inside Walmart – Slayton says they will draw a different clientele. Some customers simply want to grab a bite while they are shopping; others want a quiet place to have a cup of coffee.

The new store is a small facility, she says, and will not have a PlayLand. It will have a two-lane drive-thru.

The exterior is described as a modern “arcade design” with glass and metal. Inside are natural finishes, zoned seating areas, lower lighting levels, flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi.

The opening comes the year of the 60th anniversary of Ray Kroc’s first McDonald’s restaurant and the 40th anniversary of the company’s first drive-thru, which was in Sierra Vista.

Slayton says they wanted to come to Maricopa for some time after seeing the growth. She says they came a little later than they probably should have. She also says the third restaurant may be opening a little earlier than necessary, but they see construction and development perking up again on that side of Maricopa.

In deciding when and where to build a new restaurant, McDonald’s looks at current homes and future population projections, businesses, employers and amenities in the community and traffic. Slayton has stayed in contact with the Maricopa Economic Development Department to be up on projects and growth in the city.

The restaurant chain is a first job for a lot of young people, and every opening reminds Slayton of how she got started. She says McDonald’s teaches them about having a job and having responsibilities.

The new restaurant opens opportunities for employees at her other franchises as well. Slayton says some get to move into management and others can move into other positions.

During the first weekend of the grand opening, McDonald’s will sell its Egg McMuffin and Big Mac (Slayton’s personal favorite) for $1. There will be family entertainment and drawings for prizes from 4 to 6 p.m. on April 10, and Ronald McDonald (“the best Ronald ever,” Slayton says) will entertain at 5 p.m.

April 11 features LEGO fun from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with Bonanza Education helping create towers, car races and art projects.

Footz the Clown will perform April 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 25, it’s Mad Science with “fun and wacky experiments” and green slime from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Events are free.

Slayton says she is passionate about being involved in the community. The new restaurant will have events similar to those at the first restaurant like Teacher’s Night. In a PTA effort, teachers take over the restaurant to take orders and clear tables. The organization gets 20 percent of the evening’s proceeds, with a minimum of $350.