Mayor Al Litman, members of the Mesquite Chamber of Commerce, The Claus’ and other community members joined the Prices and representatives from the Mesquite Police and Fire Departments in a unique ribbon cutting of $50 bills. Each department received $500 from the event. Photo by Stephanie Clark.

On Saturday, Dec. 17, the McDonald’s on Pioneer Boulevard celebrated their grand reopening since undergoing a massive remodel job in November.

“We’ve rearranged some things and opened up the lobby,” said owner Dave Price. “Overall, it works much better.” The outside of the store also received a facelift. Last year, they had installed a second drive through lane to help speed up services to those not visiting the lobby. Having the extra lane helped them throughout the construction period, as they were still able to serve customers on that side of town through the drive through.

Colette Price, left, with her daughter, Andrea, give out free tickets for several drawings of prizes including two kids bikes and a free food. Photo by Stephanie Clark.

In addition to the new layout, a new play area was installed with new equipment and features, as well as new machines throughout the business.

Along with a new set of play equipment, remodeling involved moving some walls and reorganizing the lobby so that it could be more functional and organized. Photo by Stephanie Clark.

The remodel at the Pioneer store, which was built and opened in 2001, was just one of three projects for them required by the main corporation, which has mandated that all franchises update their operations. Price and his wife, Collette, own two other local McDonald’s stores, the one on West Mesquite Boulevard, which was their first store opening in 1994, and the other in Overton which opened in 1998. The other two stores were easier to manage, as all that was updated was the menu boards and other small features. In the future, there is a possibility that those will also undergo some major changes, but for now, it’s business as usual. Between the three stores, Price employs about 120 people.

This is the new play structure that young children have to look forward to at the newly remodeled West Pioneer McDonald’s. Photo by Stephanie Clark.

In addition to their celebration, Santa and Mrs. Claus was there to visit with the children.

The Mesquite Chamber of Commerce also held a ribbon cutting, which was different than any they had done before.

This time, instead of a solid red ribbon being cut, it was a taped chain of $50 bills, $1000 in total, that was split into two with the ceremonial scissors.

The money, which was divided in half at $500, is being donated to the Mesquite Police and Fire Departments. Firefighters AprilLynn LeBaron and Shawn Tobler were present to receive their cash and Sergeant Rob Stepp accepted on behalf of the police.

“This is meant to be a thank you from the community,” said Price. “We really do appreciate all you do for our community and can’t thank you enough.”

That isn’t all that the Price’s have donated recently.

In addition to their constant donations to local events and charities, they also gave $1000 to each of the high schools, Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley, for a MacGrant progam. At the end of each school year, the Prices also provide several local scholarships for graduating seniors.

Several times through the year special events are also held at the local stores, such as Coffee with a Cop, which donates a percentage of all sales in a certain time period to the Mesquite Police Department. Family nights and special fundraising events are also common to help local groups and organizations.

“We look forward to continuing our part in the community for many, many years to come,” said Andrea Price, who co-manages the three stores with her father. “We also thank the community for all of their support through the years. We wouldn’t be here without them.”