- Mac’s Drive-Thru in Gainesville is opening a new walk-up location in Thornebrook early next year, aligned with its 40th anniversary.
- Owners Ron DeFilippo and Nick Smith plan to offer familiar fresh food plus milkshakes and possibly beer or wine at the new walk-up store.
Just in time for its 40th anniversary, Gainesville’s Mac’s Drive-Thru is expanding with a walk-up storefront opening in the Shoppes at Thornebrook early next year.
The new Mac’s will run from a corner lot equipped with a patio in Thornebrook at 2441 NW 43rd St., behind Arby’s and next door to Brittany’s Fine Jewelry.
Owners Ron DeFilippo and Nick Smith told Mainstreet they closed on the property last week and said they’re ready to start renovations.
The business partners said walk-up customers can expect the same “fresh food fast” they get at the drive-thru, in addition to a few new offerings like milkshakes, and potentially beer and wine.
For now, the new walk-up will be called just “Mac’s”. Whether to make it Mac’s “Walk-To,” “Walk-Too” or “Walk-Two” is the question.
“To,” DeFilippo workshopped.
“Or just the number two,” suggested Smith.
“Or, Mac’s Drive-Too,” DeFilippo countered.
“It is the second Mac’s, so it could be like Mac’s also ‘too,’ but you do have to drive ‘to’ it, not through it,” Smith laughed. “This is what we have our meetings about.”
Regardless of what name they land on, Smith and DeFilippo said the expansion aims to continue compounding the burger joint’s decades of success, while sharing its local legacy with new generations and an ever-growing western side of the city.
“People that grew up with this place, I mean, out West didn’t exist when they were coming to Mac’s,” Smith said. “Now they’re all moving that way, so we’re trying to move to, you know, meet the broader base of Gainesville.”
DeFilippo said replicability was at the front of his mind when he bought Mac’s in 2021 from the McMillan family, who founded the drive-thru in 1987 at 129 NW 10th Ave.
The Gainesville native is no stranger to the restaurant industry, having started multiple establishments around town, including The Swamp, where he met Smith.
DeFilippo said he’s encouraged by how Mac’s has doubled production since he bought it.
He’s hired people to streamline logistical tasks like social media, onboarding and tracking production time, spaced out the drive-thru speakers and implemented credit cards as a payment option.
Even though Smith and DeFilippo plan to give the Thornebrook walk-up retro vibes, they said it will feature many modern upgrades to complement the drive-thru, like an app where customers can order ahead to skip the line. Mac’s meals can be enjoyed on the go or at the patio by the walk-up window.
DeFilippo said he wants to integrate a similar model as Shake Shack and that a consultant from the national chain would be visiting this week.
“I think that there’s a tremendous market for Mac’s in this community,” he said. “And if we don’t exploit it, somebody else will.”
DeFilippo said honoring the Mac’s legacy has been factored into every move he’s made with his ownership.
The restaurant threw celebrations when Jon McMillan retired in 2024 as the last founding family member after 37 years behind the grill, followed a few months later by Sighle Williams, who also dedicated 37 years to the business.
DeFilippo donated all revenue made on Williams’ last day from customers who waited hours in line to bid her farewell.
His daughter, Lauren, produced an award-winning documentary about Williams called “One Last Order.” Although his first plan to air the documentary for the public got rained out this spring, DeFilippo said he still hopes to show it in September ahead of opening the Thornebrook walk-up early in the new year.
“We want to play that to show what a great place Mac’s is,” he said. “How consistent we are.”
Smith said he’s still surprised by how many people haven’t heard of Mac’s. He said he’s excited to share it with a new part of Gainesville while still keeping the hometown feel that people don’t forget once they taste it.
“When [people] hear the story of it, they learn about it. Our food, our product keeps us relevant,” he said.
Once finished with the new location, DeFilippo and Smith plan to remodel the drive-thru. They are actively hiring for the new walk-up in Thornebrook and can be reached at info@macs-drive-thru.com with any questions or applications.