McDonald's Resurgence in Thuringia: Revitalization Underway!
In the heart of Gera, trapped in time, the lifeless shell of a former McDonald's on Schlossstraße stands defiant. For six long years, it's suffered the agony of waiting for resurrection, much to the dismay of fast food enthusiasts. The once vibrant quick-bite spot in the culture and congress center was more than just a meal break.
Since June 2019, the era of fast food in the city center drew to a close. The branch stumbled, unable to adapt to the new concept.
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While competitors elsewhere kept reinventing, Gera watched in silence. Even with the desire to revitalize, plans were halted by the wrath of COVID-19. Since then, it's been eerily quiet. The sole remaining McDonald's in Gera now resides in the Siemensstraße industrial area, where over half a million euros were invested in modernizing the concept.
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Yet, life appears to breathe into the desolate structure - just temporarily and in an unusual manner that'll take one off guard: on a Friday, June 13th, actors will transform the abandoned fast food restaurant into a brand-new stage. The Theaterfabrik Gera brings the city center to the stage - and the vacant McDonald's will serve as the backdrop for the play "Geratie". A local amateur troupe will subject the entire city to a group therapy session. Drawing inspiration from Italo Calvino's work "Invisible Cities", the city of Gera will star, questioning itself: What was, what is, what could be?
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In total, five locations in the city center will be reimagined as enchanting stage sets on this day. 200 spectators will journey through Gera in groups, each witnessing the play from a distinct perspective. The play will be staged twice, and the starting point will be symbolic: directly in front of the culture and congress center, where McDonald's once thrived.
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The theater spirit filling the old buildings gives many in Gera hope: Is something happening again? Will the golden arches make a comeback? The answer is unsatisfying. Even though the old restaurant is now alive with theater magic, the future for fast food fans remains grim. There are no clear-cut plans for a new city center branch - according to corporate rumors, no new location is on the horizon.
In the midst of this transformation, the vacant McDonald's on Schlossstraße might momentarily serve as a unique home-and-garden for the stage set of the play "Geratie." Despite this temporary lifestyle alteration, the future of fast food in the city center, specifically a new home for McDonald's, remains uncertain.
