The Drag is getting a familiar new neighbor. A McDonald's is slated to take over the former Dollar Slice Club spot at 2300 Guadalupe Street, just off the University of Texas at Austin campus, after state records showed a permit to convert the space. According to state filings, construction is scheduled to begin May 1 and wrap up Sept. 30, 2026, transforming roughly 2,242 square feet at an estimated cost of about $750,000. If everything stays on track, the project would bring a corporate fast-food outlet back to a stretch of Guadalupe that has already watched several longtime eateries change hands or shut their doors.
Permit details and project scope
According to documents on file with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Project #TABS2026013256 was registered Feb. 23, 2026, for "MCD AUSTIN TFO" at 2300 Guadalupe St. The paperwork lists McDonald's USA, LLC as the owner and JAW Architects as the design firm. The filing describes the work as a renovation and alteration that will convert the existing 2,242-square-foot unit into a McDonald's restaurant, with an estimated price tag of about $750,000.
From pizza shop to franchise
Until recently, the address belonged to Dollar Slice Club, which closed in July 2025 after serving cheap slices to students and passersby. At the time, owners announced plans to rebrand the storefront as Famous Famiglia Pizzeria, as reported by The Daily Texan. Staff told the paper that many employees were expected to stay on through the rebrand. The new state filing, however, points to the space heading in a different direction, with a franchise conversion instead of the previously touted pizzeria concept.
Local reaction and reporting
KXAN first spotted the permit and reported that the property owner did not respond to requests for comment. Online, community posts on sites like Reddit show students and alumni split over the news, with some welcoming the convenience and others seeing the plan as another sign of chain-driven change creeping along the Drag.
What it could mean for the Drag
The makeover comes as Guadalupe Street continues to shift. Recently, other long-running spots such as CoCo's Cafe are closing amid rising costs and changing student habits. Whether the McDonald's renovation ends up as a straightforward late-night option for hungry students or nudges more franchises to eye the corridor will depend on how construction proceeds, what city approvals look like and how the campus community ultimately reacts.
