The doors of the beloved McDonald’s store located along Paseo De Roxas or McDonald’s Greenbelt remain open 24/7, ready to serve more feel-good moments for its customers.
Standing at the heart of the Makati Central Business District, McDonald’s Greenbelt has been an important part of the daily lives of workers, residents, and visitors of the bustling financial and commercial area.
With the Greenbelt 1 mall demolished in 2024 to make way for new developments, it visibly left the McDonald’s beside it as the sole retail establishment still open–causing people to wonder if it too, was closing soon.
McDonald’s Greenbelt, or Store 009 to its employees, was the ninth store opened by McDonald’s Philippines Chairman and Founder, and master franchise holder Dr. George T. Yang. Today, McDonald’s has close to 800 stores nationwide.
Opened in 1985, the store is preparing to celebrate its 40th year of operations this December with the lease that has recently been renewed until 2027.
Fans of the store have been sharing memories and personal stories they had at McDonald’s Greenbelt.
On Facebook, one fan wrote: “Breakfast meetups, late lunches, and late night snacks. So [many] memories for more than two decades.”
Also on Facebook, a long-time customer talked about their most memorable family stories from the 1980s onwards: “So many happy memories our family wrote in Greenbelt—from Greenbelt Aviary to Rizal Theater, to the first McDonald’s where the young Richard Gomez took the orders of our small daughters, to celebrating the seventh birthday of our youngest son.”
A former crew member also shared on Facebook: “From an introvert teenager to a confident crew [member], McDonald’s has become a big part of what I am right now… forever grateful.”
“McDonald’s Greenbelt is open and will continue to serve our customers in the Makati CBD. We’re very excited and thankful to have the opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the store later this year with our customers and employees, both past and present,” said Adi Hernandez, McDonald’s Philippines Assistant Vice President for Corporate Relations and Impact.
She added: “Operating a store for 40 years in its same, original location is a testament to the community it has built. The success of McDonald’s Greenbelt is not just in terms of its sales, but the love and loyalty it has gained from its customers, managers, and crew through the decades.”
“We want to assure our customers that McDonald’s Greenbelt is not closing anytime soon, and that they can continue to enjoy their McDonald’s favorites any time, whether dine-in, take-out, delivery, or its newly renovated drive-thru lane.”
Since George T. Yang opened the first McDonald’s store on Morayta Street, Manila, in 1981, McDonald’s Philippines continues to show robust growth, making the Philippines one of the top 10 largest McDonald’s markets in the world. It ended 2024 with 792 stores nationwide and is on the road to opening its 800th store in the near future.