Current:Home > reviewsVideo shows 'world's fanciest' McDonald's, complete with grand piano, gutted by Helene -CapitalEdge
Video shows 'world's fanciest' McDonald's, complete with grand piano, gutted by Helene
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:49:29
A pretty special McDonald's took a big hit after Hurricane Helene rolled into North Carolina, which caused unprecedented devastation and destruction to a number of states across the Southeast.
The McDonald's, located in Asheville, was one of many structures in the historic Biltmore Village, an 8,000-acre property affected by "catastrophic flooding," according to reporting by Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Biltmore Village is expected to remain closed until Tuesday, Oct. 15, but may remain shuttered longer as crews begin to assess the damages caused by the storm, which killed at least 200 people.
The McDonald's franchise, built in 2000, was renovated to exude the "high-society elegance" that other bars, restaurants, clothing stores within the Biltmore Village, and was dubbed the "world's fanciest" McDonald's, according to reporting by Atlas Obscura.
Before Hurricane Helene completely gutted the inside of the McDonald's, customers were greeted with red oak tables, wrought iron railings, "and luminous chandeliers under a sweeping pressed-tin ceiling, with every wood feature boasting a handsome finish," Atlas Obscura reported.
A baby grand piano stationed in the corner only elevated the dining experience, playing music as customers waited for their orders or tucked into Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets, Atlas Obscura reported. The McDonald's even had a giant stone chimney.
USA TODAY has reached out to McDonald's for additional information.
Watch: 'World's fanciest' McDonald's left in ruins after Hurricane Helene
As an Uber and Lyft driver, Vitor Sa drives by the corner everyday despite never eating there, he told USA TODAY on Friday. The fancy McDonald's is now caked by at least a foot of mud, Sa said.
"I have passengers this week that I picked up and their family is just like 'We're not going to be able to go to McDonald's and Wendy's anymore this week,' because they're all closed. They're completely destroyed," Sa said. "Their kids are missing the McDonald's that was there."
Contributing: Anthony Robledo
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Inside Clean Energy: Coronavirus May Mean Halt to Global Solar Gains—For Now
- Inside Clean Energy: At a Critical Moment, the Coronavirus Threatens to Bring Offshore Wind to a Halt
- Behind your speedy Amazon delivery are serious hazards for workers, government finds
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Microsoft can move ahead with record $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, judge rules
- Exxon Touts Carbon Capture as a Climate Fix, but Uses It to Maximize Profit and Keep Oil Flowing
- Inside Clean Energy: Rooftop Solar Wins Big in Kansas Court Ruling
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- Over 100 Nations at COP26 Pledge to Cut Global Methane Emissions by 30 Percent in Less Than a Decade
Ranking
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Charles Ponzi's scheme
- Twitter auctioned off office supplies, including a pizza oven and neon bird sign
- These Bathroom Organizers Are So Chic, You'd Never Guess They Were From Amazon
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Get a First Look at Love Is Blind Season 5 and Find Out When It Premieres
- Billion-Dollar Disasters: The Costs, in Lives and Dollars, Have Never Been So High
- NTSB head warns of risks posed by heavy electric vehicles colliding with lighter cars
Recommendation
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
U.S. hits its debt limit and now risks defaulting on its bills
A Delta in Distress
The Atlantic Hurricane Season Typically Brings About a Dozen Storms. This Year It Was 30
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
National Splurge Day: Shop 10 Ways To Treat Yourself on Any Budget
Untangling Exactly What Happened to Pregnant Olympian Tori Bowie
Tom Brady Shares His and Ex Gisele Bundchen's Parenting Game Plan