McDonald’s Keerdok: As one of the first visitors, I was invited to the exclusive pre-opening of the brand new McDonald’s restaurant in Mechelen, located at the Rode Kruisplein in the new urban development Keerdok. It’s not just any McDonald’s, because this establishment has the very first underground McDrive in Belgium!
Operator Marco Van Oppens began his career as a young student in a McDonalds. Today he takes care of no less than 10 restaurants: Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw Makro, Dendermonde, Groot-Bijgaarden, Halle, Anderlecht, Nijvel, Waterloo, Woutersbrakel and so also Mechelen.
Renewed and Modern
After 30 years of faithful service, the previous McDonald’s restaurant was in need of renewal, and that’s exactly what it got. After a temporary pop-up restaurant in the former pet store Tom & Co, it was time again for a move to the new building. It is not only stylish, but perfectly integrated into the future-oriented vision of the Keerdok site. Driving into Mechelen, you can spot the imposing new building right away. The restaurant is a wonderful addition to the urban renewal project that focuses on sustainability and modern living.
Impressive Facilities
This is not just another fast food restaurant. With a total capacity of 315 seats inside, 117 seats on the outdoor terrace, and three floors, it’s the perfect place to have a nice dinner. Kids can have a blast in the play area that extends over two floors, complete with a winding slide. Read more below the photos
The restaurant offers plenty of other options besides dining. Through no less than 10 double order kiosks spread over several floors, you can quickly and easily place your order. Your meal will be delivered to your table, but of course you can also choose to pick it up at the restaurant or the underground McDrive. And those who prefer to stay home can count on McDelivery.
Sustainable and Future-Focused
What makes this McDonald’s restaurant extra special is the use of sustainable building materials and energy-efficient installations. The restaurant is equipped with solar panels that provide significant CO2 reduction. In addition, rainwater is collected and used for the toilets, saving 500m³ of water annually. The building even has a BREEAM certificate, which guarantees sustainability. The surrounding area has also been carefully addressed: of the 4,000 square meters of site area, half is earmarked for green space with 40 new trees.
Employment and Advancement Opportunities
In addition to the innovative nature of the building, the opening is also important for employment in the region. With a team of 130 employees, including 65 full-time equivalents, McDonald’s contributes significantly to the local economy. For franchisee Marco Van Oppens, this is his tenth restaurant, and he is immensely proud of this new location.
McDonald’s Keerdok as part of Mechelen
Mayor Bart Somers and Alderman for the Economy Greet Geypen attended the opening and spoke highly of the cooperation with McDonald’s. Geypen emphasized that the restaurant is much more than a standard fast food outlet. The architecture fits perfectly with the ambitious plans for the Keerdok site. Accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists was also carefully thought out, with sufficient parking spaces and bicycle racks.
Customers are welcome every day for dine-in and takeaway between 08:00 and 00:00. On Fridays and Saturdays, the McDrive will remain open until 02:00. Breakfast is offered all week from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. For those who prefer to have their order delivered, McDelivery is available from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day. The new McDonald’s restaurant is located at Rode Kruisplein 5, 2800 Mechelen. The parking lot and the McDrive are accessible via Guido Gezellelaan.
- A bicycle parking lot will eventually be constructed with as many as 42 spaces.
- Eight charging stations for electric cars will be provided in the underground parking lot.Eight charging stations for electric cars will be provided in the underground parking lot.
- The Green Truck, McDonald’s own waste management system introduced 15 years ago, where waste is sorted into different streams by employees,
then transported in the Green Truck and recycled separately. For example, dry cardboard and paper is returned to the paper manufacturer, where it is converted into recycled paper or cardboard, all used fryer oil is recycled into biodiesel, and plastic and PET bottles are converted into new plastic granules. - Optimization of waste sorting in the restaurant; In addition to the waste sorting system in the kitchen, the new bins in the restaurant area help consumers to sort their waste better. There are five different streams: liquids and ice cubes, empty cups, food waste (organic waste), PMD and residual waste.
- McDonald’s Keerdok restaurant features a green roof for increased biodiversity.
- Solar panels will provide the restaurant with electricity, which means a saving of approximately 4 tons of CO 2 /year. They are supplemented with 100% green energy from wind and water turbines, and the sun. This means that approximately 70 tons less CO 2 is released into the air each year.
- Thanks to energy-saving equipment and measures (heat pumps for heating, cooling and hot water production, heat recovery mechanisms, sublimation technology for the cold rooms, smart energy management system for starting up our operations in the kitchens, etc.), all restaurants together save a lot of electricity.
- Waterless urinals save 4 litres per flush, which equates to 100 m³ of drinking water per urinal per year – the equivalent of the annual consumption of an average family.
- Rainwater is collected in rainwater tanks and used for flushing toilets, which means an annual saving of 500m³.
Text, photos and video Verschueren Eddy for Mechelen at its Best and Traveltopper