The signs on the exterior of the McDonald’s restaurant in a Sterling shopping center have come down and the restaurant has apparently shut its doors permanently.
Signs in the windows say they are closed and a peek inside shows that they are starting to take the place apart.
Regular readers know that this move was expected — we reported last year that the McDonald’s is leaving and will be replaced by Loudoun County’s first Shake Shack restaurant.
The McDonald’s is located in the Cascades Marketplace shopping center at the intersection of Cascade Parkway and Palisade Parkway. It was one of the area’s oldest outposts for the famous chain.
The lease on the spot was reportedly ending this year. We’ve been told that the McDonald’s building will be torn and a new Shake Shack will be built from the ground up.
We’re also told that there will be a drive-thru lane on the Shake Shack, a relatively new feature for the brand.
The owners of Cascades Marketplace are working hard to bring new life to the aging center — and having a remarkable string of good luck.
Besides Shake Shack, the center has also signed leases for Loudoun’s first Taco Bamba restaurant, a new CHIKO restaurant, a new Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, and an upcoming French bistro called Brasserie Roayle.
Meanwhile, another section of the center — where Pier One and the SkyZone trampoline park were located — has been shuttered and will be torn down to make way for new residential units.