May 25, 2021 crews broke ground for the new McDonald’s restaurant in Vermilion. The restaurant was scheduled to open in late September but due to delays in construction materials, the restaurant opening was delayed a couple of days until October 1.
Currently, the restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. for Drive-thru. Dine-in hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., but currently have no sit-in dining due to restrictions. They do have Curbside delivery which started on Monday, October 4. The restaurant will be going 24 hours in the Drive-Thru starting Nov 1.
Franchisee James Richer has been a part of the McDonald’s family for over 40 years. Along with his wife Tamara, they currently live in the Vegreville area and have been McDonald’s Franchisees since 2007. They also operate McDonald’s restaurants in Vegreville, St. Paul, and Wainwright.
James and Tamara look forward to becoming a part of the Vermilion community, building strong relationships and getting involved in local activities.
“I just want to say thank you to the town for the incredible welcome we received from Mayor Caroline McAuley, town council and the community.
Thank you everyone for your patience over this Friday-Sunday during our Grand Opening Weekend. It was new and a challenge for the staff and managers and we appreciated receiving such kind words from our guests. We look forward to improving each and every day to serve you better,” commented James. He also wanted to thank the construction crews who worked tirelessly on the new build, as well as the Town.
“I would like to thank Koralta Construction for the superb job in building Vermilion McDonalds. I would also like to thank the Mayor and town planning for allowing Koralta to use the adjacent site to store tools and machinery, it’s very much appreciated,” stated James.
James previously said that they always thought it would be great to have a restaurant in Vermilion and that McDonald’s has been looking at how best they can serve smaller communities, and that Vermilion was the best spot for them.
It was also commented that the current new restaurant location is employing approximately 60 individuals.
“The vast majority of our hires are from Vermilion or close surrounding areas. We are definitely hiring both full-time and part-time staff, including assistant managers. We are excited to staff our Vermilion restaurant with enthusiastic locals who love food and engaging with their neighbours,” commented James.
Mayor Caroline McAuley, Marylee Prior, Economic Development Officer, and councilors presented franchisee James and Tamara Richer with a welcome plaque on September 29 while they received a tour of the newest state-of-the-art McDonald’s in Alberta.
“McDonald’s saw our community as open to all businesses small and large and we are happy McDonald’s has invested in Vermilion,” commented Mayor McAuley.