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The Las Vegas tourist is about to start hearing that phrase more often.

Just when you thought the Encore opening was going to be the largest event in Las Vegas this year … BAM … Ronald McDonald comes in and steals Steve Wynn’s thunder by opening a new restaurant a mere half mile from Steve’s newest creation.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole Encore thing was postponed now, as the new hotel is going to be nothing short of anticlimactic at this point.

Honestly, I never thought that I would write a post about McDonald’s, much less make a five minute video about a trip to one, however, today … I am doing both.

Why?

Because a new McDonald’s named Viva McDonald’s opened on the Las Vegas Strip, and there is a large amount of media interest in the story.

Why?

Because this is the largest McDonald’s in the world.

That’s right … not only can Las Vegas boast the largest hotels on the planet, but we can now boast the largest McDonald’s as well. Is this a good thing? That’s completely a matter of opinion.

Back when Echelon Place was being planned, it was decided that the old McDonald’s next to the Stardust had to go. It was on prime real estate that Boyd Gaming needed for their new mega-project. A deal was reached in which the land would become part of Echelon, and McDonald’s would open a new restaurant one block to the north of its current location.

It is now located across from the Riviera, and directly adjacent to Slots-O-Fun.

There was a large amount of media at the new restaurant, and this struck me as rather curious for the grand opening of a simple fast food joint.

I knew that the new restaurant was opening today, but until this morning, I had no idea of the significance of the new place until I queued up in line to be one of the first people inside.

While waiting for the doors to officially open at 11am, along with hundreds of others, I was informed that this particular store was 8,000 square feet … making it the largest one in existence.

The newsworthiness of the event finally made sense to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I still feel excessively silly and asinine for writing an article about McDonald’s … but what can I tell you … weird things are “news” in this town. If you watch our local TV stations, you will see the story on just about every channel.

Personally, I don’t eat fast food. I have not actually eaten at a McDonald’s in a solid 15 years, and today was no exception. Since something new had opened up within a couple of miles of my home, I wanted to be there to document the occasion, but I didn’t actually sample the product.

I don’t have anything against people who do get down with the clown, but it’s just not my thing.

As the economy gets tighter, more and more people are packing into McDonald’s than ever before because of their popular “Dollar Menu”. To that I say … the more power to them. People need to eat.

So … what does the world’s largest McDonald’s look like?

It is actually pretty cool.

They dramatically overhauled the exterior of the restaurant, and made it much more attractive and “Vegasy”, even going so far as to include a slot machine-type display facing Las Vegas Boulevard and naming it Viva McDonald’s.

Hell, as of right now, McDonald’s is actually more aesthetically pleasing than the nearby Peppermill, which still looks like a glorified Denny’s.

It even looks more modern than the adjacent Circus Circus casino.

And, it is far more aesthetically pleasing than the complete dump sitting beside it … the Echelon Place Construction Pit.

The death of Echelon was no doubt a serious disappointment to the McDonald’s franchise. The new restaurant is now smack in the middle of a virtual no-man’s land, and there is no relief in sight.

You know things have gotten bad on the North Strip when McDonald’s is the nicest property around.

Anyway, the interior is also quite nice for a fast food joint. They have a ring of flat screens hanging from the ceiling, a couple of “lounges” toward the back, outlets for you to plug in your laptops, and the seating configuration is much more open and comfortable than a standard McDonald’s restaurant.

It is, without a doubt, the most “luxurious”, and high tech McDonald’s that I have ever seen in my life.

There was also a special guest.

What would a Las Vegas Grand Opening be without an Elvis or two?

Elvis left the building (and by “building” I mean “planet”) in 1977, but this town just won’t let homeboy rest in peace.

The King was, indeed, at the Viva McDonald’s Grand Opening today, and he was serenading us all and shaking his groove thing. I’m sure you are expecting a comment along the lines of “Given his girth, Elvis is the perfect spokesman for McDonald’s” … but I would never, ever say anything like that.

As for the prices … they are higher than a normal golden arches. This is no doubt due to the insanely high rent that Mickey D’s has to pay to operate on the Boulevard.

Does Las Vegas really need another McDonald’s … the world’s largest one at that?

The answer appears to be “yes”. Every time I walk through a casino and spot a MCD’s … it always shocks me at the number of people waiting in line to eat at them.

I never understood it, but they get plenty of business here in Las Vegas.

It sort of does make sense that they would open up there most massive single restaurant here.

Is it worth a visit?

I don’t know. If you want to tell people that you have been to the world’s largest McDonald’s, then sure … it’s worth it.

If you really, really like Big Macs, then this is the cleanest and most comfortable place you are likely to obtain one.

Aside from that, it’s probably not worth the trip that far north.

I would like to take this opportunity, however, to extend my gratitude to the McDonald’s Corporation for finally building something on the North Strip.

At this point, we’ll take what we can get.

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