THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY JENNIFER BAILEY
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A month after Don and Deanna Witzel of Danville celebrated 25 years of now owning and operating seven McDonald’s in Vermilion County and Covington, Ind., they are selling their beloved restaurants.
“We do have a buyer,” Deanna said.
The Witzels had been telling employees about the decision. The sale has now been finalized.
“It just kind of all fell into place,” Deanna said. “It happened very quickly.”
Employees were in shock at the announcement. Deanna said they were asking if this was really happening.
The new owner will be Blake Linders. Blake is president of Effingham-based Linders Limited, the company that owns 18 McDonald’s locations in Champaign-Urbana, Rantoul, Arcola, Mattoon, Charleston, Effingham and Altamont. The Linders family is celebrating the McDonald’s in Effingham turning 50 today.
The Linders family is excited about the new restaurant acquisitions.
“We’re very excited,” said Jake Linders, Blake’s son and district manager of the Champaign-Urbana McDonald’s restaurant market for the Linders family, about acquiring the Witzels’ restaurants.
He said their family has known the Witzels for a long time. Jake also is working toward being an owner.
Jake said his family likes to go into new communities and make impacts where they can.
He said they look forward to “making some new roots” in Danville and the surrounding communities.
Jake added they are excited to take part in new partnerships and relationships.
The seven additional McDonald’s locations will make 25 restaurants under Blake’s belt.
In a 2023 News-Gazette article, Blake talked about remodeling the McDonald’s near Market Place Mall in Champaign that he and his son bought in March 2022.
Blake Linders grew up in Sparta and went to the University of Illinois for a degree in civil engineering. Jake lives in Champaign and provides a hands-on ownership presence for the business’ restaurants in the area.
With Linders already owning other McDonald’s restaurants, the sale process moved more swiftly.
“It’s a lot easier and faster,” Deanna said.
Deanna said their last official day as owners will be Aug. 14. Blake takes over on Aug. 15.
The Witzels had been “kind of thinking” about selling their restaurants in the last few years. They thought about it now and then, Deanna said.
Someone else also was interested in buying the restaurants but wanted to wait three years.
Deanna said they’d had previous conversations with people about buying their restaurants, but their decision solidified more recently when the Witzel family had some family members pass away.
They realized their businesses took up so much of their time, that they wanted to step back and enjoy family more.
She wondered how it would be different for her and her family, not operating the restaurants anymore.
“I love what I do in the community,” she said.
“Step Up is my passion,” she added, about the community group that focuses on mental health and other community needs. She will continue to see it through, and service expansions including with Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation.
Deanna also still will be involved in Vermilion Advantage.
For the future for McDonald’s in the Vermilion County area, there won’t be an office in Danville anymore for the local restaurants. The local office will be in Champaign.
The office staff and the Witzels’ son, Rob, won’t be staying on, but all other staff is expected to.
“I think it will be a good thing,” Deanna said of the continuing committed leadership of the restaurants.
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