Current:Home > InvestVideo shows 'world's fanciest' McDonald's, complete with grand piano, gutted by Helene -AssetVision
Video shows 'world's fanciest' McDonald's, complete with grand piano, gutted by Helene
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:48:28
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! (658)
Related
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Heat-related Texas deaths climb after Beryl left millions without power for days or longer
- Gwyneth Paltrow Shares What Worries Her Most About Her Kids Apple and Moses
- We’re Still Talking About These Viral Olympic Moments
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Small businesses grapple with global tech outages created by CrowdStrike
- DNC backs virtual roll call vote for Biden as outside groups educate delegates about other scenarios
- Joe Biden Exits Presidential Election: Naomi Biden, Jon Stewart and More React
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Ten Commandments posters won't go in Louisiana classrooms until November
Ranking
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Man sentenced in prison break and fatal brawl among soccer fans outside cheesesteak shop
- Man shoots and kills grizzly bear in Montana in self defense after it attacks
- Triple-digit heat, meet wildfires: Parts of US face a 'smoky and hot' weekend
- Trump's 'stop
- The Secret Service acknowledges denying some past requests by Trump’s campaign for tighter security
- Meet some of the world’s cleanest pigs, raised to grow kidneys and hearts for humans
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score in WNBA All-Star Game?
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Setback to Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks as far-right Israeli official visits contested Jerusalem holy site
WNBA All-Star game highlights: Arike Ogunbowale wins MVP as Olympians suffer loss
Photos show reclusive tribe on Peru beach searching for food: A humanitarian disaster in the making
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Conspiracy falsely claims there was second shooter at Trump rally on a water tower
Microsoft outage shuts down Starbucks' mobile ordering app
Ten Commandments posters won't go in Louisiana classrooms until November