Photo Friday: Retro repro sign at Michigan McDonald's

I always loved the vintage sign that stood in front of a McDonald’s in Madison Heights, Michigan, until that restaurant modernized their signage and donated the old sign to The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

That vintage Micky D’s sign made an appearance in one of my very first posts here at Midwest Guest in 2008, and it made a cameo appearance in my 2009 story about a vintage diner at The Henry Ford.

McDonald’s ceased using the Speedee character featured on the vintage signs in the early 1960s, so, you might imagine my curiosity when I spotted this sign earlier this winter in front of a Micky D’s in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.

It turns out that the Dearborn Heights sign is a retro reproduction in front of a McDonald’s that bills itself as the “world famous 50s McDonalds”. A closer look at the sign shows it marked as a “50s” restaurant in the spot where the vintage sign at The Henry Ford features the 15-cent burger price.

Franchisee Eric Bardha spent $500,000 and one year to create a 1950s themed McDonald’s to replace an aging McDonald’s, opening the retro restaurant in 1988.

The restaurant’s 1950s theme is particularly well-suited to its location on Telegraph Road, a major metro Detroit cruising route throughout the years that still draws classic car owners for the annual Telegraph Tomorrow Car Cruise each summer. The 50s McDonald’s is popular among classic car owners who show up for classic car nights at the restaurant.    

There is a similar retro reproduction sign at a Lapeer, Michigan, Micky D’s.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Comments

[Linda]

Love it!

[Dominique King]

I'm a sucker for old signs...and in this case, not-so-old signs...too :)