Almost All McDonald's Gone From NY Thruway Forever [PICS]

We drove the New York State Thruway this weekend out to Buffalo and it seems as if this is the last hurrah for McDonald's at all of the rest stops.

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In fact, Friday we were heading west and the one we stopped at had a McDonald's that was scheduled to close for good on Saturday. It was pretty sad. There were no fountain drinks, chicken mcnugget sauces, chicken sandwiches, not many burgers on the menu, and signs all over that Saturday that they would close forever.

Chrissy Townsquare Media

On our way back Sunday night, the Thruway stops that once had a McDonald's were completely shut down.

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Different Options Will Replace McDonald's

The $450 million project entails rebuilding twenty-three out of the twenty-seven rest area plazas throughout the state according to the Daily Gazettela. There are already a couple of rest areas completed. One has Popeye's as a fast food option and the other a Shake Shack. All of the stops have a new convenience store called Applegreen C-stores open 24 hours and offering grab-and-go items, hot meals, and Taste NY products.

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Chrissy Townsquare Media

Paula Chirhart who is a spokesperson for Applegreen said,

We are proud to have been selected by New York as its long-term partner to reimagine and rebuild the driver experience through the New York State Thruway.

Take a Look at the First NY Thruway Rest Area Completed

There has been a lot of construction being done on the New York State Thruway Rest Areas and finally, we are starting to see some of the rest stops being completed. Although the first rest area is open, this is one of the smaller versions of what the other ones will look like. The Indian Castle rest area just 90 minutes west of Albany is beautiful with a Popeye's and Starbucks inside. It boasts a Starbucks drive-thru and a convenience store featuring a variety of New York state products.