TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – The golden arches, the iconic symbolic of Big Macs and Happy Meals, now stands amid the rubble of its former building on Blue Lakes Boulevard and Heyburn Avenue.

A demolition crew set to work this morning razing the building, paving the way for a new and more modern McDonald’s that will better serve its growing customer base.

Bill Kyle, owner of the local franchise, started the demolition by maneuvering the excavator’s arm into the roof of the building. A few minutes later, Bill, still wearing his yellow hardhat, was on the sidelines watching the demolition crew tear down the rest of his facility.

Local franchize owner Bill Kyle, right, and his son Darren Kyle watch the demolition of their McDonald's on Blue Lakes Monday morning in Twin Falls.
Local franchise owner Bill Kyle, right, and his son Darren Kyle watch the demolition of their McDonald's on Blue Lakes Monday morning in Twin Falls.
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“I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “Tuesday, our last day of business in the building, was very emotional for us. But as they say, all good things must come to an end and it’s time for us to start a new chapter.”

He’s not wasting any time. The demolition will be finished today, and in another week the footings for a new and more modern McDonald’s will begin. New features will include a new layout of the kitchen, inside play area, and a side-by-side drive-thru.

Dining space will remain relatively the same as in the old building, Bill said, because about 70 percent of the restaurant’s business is drive-thru.

Darren Kyle, left, makes one last visit inside the restaurant Monday morning.
Darren Kyle, left, makes one last visit inside the restaurant Monday morning.
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When the restaurant opened on Jan. 4, 1973, it didn’t have a drive-thru and was almost half the size as it was on its last day of business Tuesday. Bill didn’t add onto the building until the spring of 1977. That fall, he added the drive-thru.

“It was the 77th drive-thru in the whole McDonald’s system,” he said.

The future building will take more space on the lot because it won’t have a basement like the old building did. It was there, in the cooler temperatures of the basement, where cold storage, equipment and offices were located. In the new restaurant, storage will be located at the back of the building.

Bill’s son, Darren Kyle, said he remembers visiting his dad’s office as a young boy. Darren started working at the restaurant, helping his dad when he was just 10 years old.

He said: “When I tell people how young I was, they say, ‘I thought you couldn’t work when you’re that young.’ I tell them, ‘Well, I went to work anyway.’”

A dessert menu rests on a counter amid the clutter of the gutted McDonald's before demolition on Monday morning.
A dessert menu rests on a counter amid the clutter of the gutted McDonald's before demolition on Monday morning.
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Darren said before the store closed for the last time on Tuesday, old photos had been displayed on a memory board inside the restaurant. One photo was of Darren wearing a white-mesh server’s hat and a blue-striped uniform.

“It brought back a lot of memories,” he said. “This old building is nostalgic for a lot of people. It was where we all cut our teeth.”

Darren said Monday that he was going to grab a brick as a souvenir.

The new restaurant is scheduled to open mid- to late June. Until then, the golden arches will stand at the property’s front on Blue Lakes.

“It’s a fairly new sign. I purchased it about three years ago,” Bill said. “It’s about the only thing that will remain through the demolition.”

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