Grand reopening at McDonald's Midvale eatery

The McDonald's restaurant at 895 E. Ft. Union Blvd. in Midvale will celebrate a grand-reopening on Thursday with a visit from Ronald McDonald and prize giveaways from noon to 2 p.m.

The McDonald's, operated by owner Clark Stringham, also will offer daily specials through Dec. 31.

"This is the second major remodel of this McDonald's since it opened in 1990. With a completely new exterior, we are celebrating a new look, [a] new approach inside and out as a sign of how McDonald's is changing with the times to give our customers a dining experience that's more inviting," Stringham said.

The restaurant has a redesigned play area with seating options, a modernized exterior and an enhanced double-lane drive-thru for faster service. Inside, customers will see better lighting, furniture updates and power outlets at seating areas and free Wi-Fi.

This is the 42nd restaurant in Utah to undergo a redesign since a nationwide revamp was launched in 2011.

McDonald's USA announced a $1 billion investment to redesign most of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants by 2015. Last year, McDonald's and its franchisees remodeled 600 restaurants and rebuilt 200 nationwide.

In 2012, McDonald's plans to improve on that total, targeting 800 new remodels, 225 rebuilds and 175 new store openings – a 24 percent total increase in renovations over the previous year.