The McDonald’s on Montauk Highway in Blue Point is tentatively scheduled for a grand opening in late October/early November of this year, according to franchisee of the fast food restaurant, Johnah Kaufman, who owns 10 other McDonalds on Long Island, including two in Patchogue.

Demolition of the old Burger King on 32 Montauk Highway was two weeks earlier this summer.

Last week, the project became shovel ready with crews and heavy machinery in place.

The new fast-food restaurant is expected to employ approximately 65 employees with 15 being full-time.

Kaufman will be training his staff this summer and early fall at the Route 101 and Gateway Plaza locations.

“We’ll be hiring up to the opening,” said Kaufman. “I have two McDonald’s in Patchogue and one in Medford, so I’m familiar with the area. I took a drive over to Blue Point and saw what a lovely residential, beautiful community it is,” said Kaufman.

While the brand is known internationally and generationally as one of the faces of American life, Kaufman said that the mantra of “Q.S.C.” (quality, service, cleanliness) dating back to 1955 with Ray Crock the founder of McDonald’s, is what the community can expect from his establishment.

“You’re going to have great service, great hospitality, and great smiles,” said Kaufman.

Burger King, which had been operating for over 40 years in Blue Point, closed in October 2023 following an announcement from the corporation that they would be shuttering over 400 locations in the country.

McDonald’s corporate office began the process to take over the space and in February and appeared before the Brookhaven Town Planning Board to apply for the construction permit. Kaufman was offered the new McDonald’s in late 2022.

According to site plans, the McDonald’s building structure would be over 1,300 feet bigger than the previous Burger King and would feature two drive-through paths. As Burger King only had one drive-through, McDonald’s had to apply for a zone change to have the double capacity.

“The side-by-side [drive through] allows to take up two orders at the same time and alleviate stacking and the issue of long lines,” said Kaufman.

Recently elected Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce president Karl Auwaerter said, “We welcome new businesses to our community. We encourage the new owners of McDonalds to join our chamber and get involved in their new community. The success of businesses in Bayport-BluePoint is grounded in maintaining a vibrant and supportive community through direct involvement in local organizations.  We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship.”

Councilman Neil Foley (R-5^th District) also welcomed the new establishment and said, “We hope this will be the start of a new community fixture.”