San Fernando Valley. - 27 February, 2006 -

It's got chic decor. Rich wood paneling. Art on the walls. A window reading nook. A communal dining bar. Wi-Fi. And an executive meeting room. McDonald's, home to the Big Mac, has never been so upscale. Or, in the words of a corporate remodeling campaign, so "forever young." For Ken and Ron Lopaty, among the world's first McDonald's franchise owners, the makeover of their Warner Center diner is light years from their first Golden Arches. "From about here to Mars," exclaimed Ken Lopaty, 75, who on Monday celebrated the opening of his first McDonald's franchise 49 years earlier. "This tends to fit in better with the kinds of (business) clients we have. It's personable. It's friendly. It's inviting. I like the wooden look." The Lopaty remodeling, completed this month, might be the swankiest in the San Fernando Valley. It's also part of an extensive "reimaging" campaign by McDonald's to turn burger joints across the nation into trendy fast-food hot spots. This year, more than half its 13,700 restaurants will have received the cool decorative touch. In Southern California, one-third of its oldest restaurants will soon expect the new look. "It's really taking a holistic approach to looking at the decor at our restaurants - both interior and exterior - to give it a contemporary 'forever-young' feel in line with our 'I'm loving it' brand essence," said Danya Proud, a McDonald's Corp. spokeswoman in Oak Brook, Ill. "We want to make it more of a destination than a place you drop in." It was Feb. 27, 1957, when McDonald's Corp. founder Ray Kroc drove to the Chicago home of Ben Lopaty to collect $1,500 for a Golden Arches franchise. Ken, by his side, bet his future on the new fast food. Their first McDonald's, in Kenosha, Wis., was hot in summer. Cold in winter. And forced customers hungry for a 15-cent burger to eat outdoors. "Every time someone would open one of the sliding windows, it was like a gale coming through there," said Ken Lopaty. "It was a challenge, to say the least." Working seven days a week, the father-son team hauled 100-pound sacks of potatoes from the basement. Then washed, peeled, hand-cut and blanched every batch to make their famous McDonald's fries. Women, recalled Ken Lopaty, according to the early laws of Kroc were considered a distraction and barred from employment. Brother Ron got into the act, and before long the family had 50 McDonald's surrounding Memphis. In 1962, they left the Midwest and opened 13 McDonald's in the San Fernando Valley. Over the years, the Lopatys converted their first McDonald's to indoor seating. They created the first McDonald's grilled cheese sandwiches for Catholics during Lent. And made the first McDonald's salad. It was Ken's son, Keith, owner of two McDonald's franchises, who helped remodel the Woodland Hills store owned by his father and uncle. Out went the mauve and teal and bright fluorescents of an earlier '80s remodel. In went the sage-green walls, chestnut accents and dim designer lighting. And the 10-seat private conference room, chest-high bar and window lounge for office workers on their break. "It's for people who want to have a cup of coffee, talk on the phone, read the paper, log on to the computer," said Keith Lopaty, 44. "This is part of a new look," added uncle Ron Lopaty, 72. "The end result is forever young - what you see here is different from any other McDonald's." Reactions were mixed. While some customers praised the more contemporary feel, others took issue with dimmer lights. "Why the new look?" said Deborah McManus, 51, of Chatsworth, who rearranged the lounge into a kiddie play zone. "I came here for the baby to play and there's no play area." "I like it," countered Mark Koman, 53, of Thousand Oaks. "It's clean, more subdued. It's the same place, just a little more comfortable. You don't necessarily want to eat and rush out." A manager of California National Bank next door said he looks forward to reserving the McDonald's conference table for sales meetings next door. "It's convenient, easy access," said CalNational manager Chanaka De Silva. "They're like family, because it's next door. And it's reasonable - (because) you don't have to pay for it."

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