A McDonald’s will open in September in the vacant lot along The Drag that once housed Dollar Slice Club, according to a building permit from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Dollar Slice Club, formerly located at 2300 Guadalupe St. next to the University Co-op, opened in October 2021 and closed in July 2025. The space has sat vacant ever since. A new construction permit for the incoming McDonald’s sets the completion date for Sept. 30. As of today, the area around the Austintatious mural on 23rd Street and the restaurant building is fenced off and blocked from pedestrians due to the construction. The construction manager on the project did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Public health senior Ashritha Aki said she is excited to have access to a more well-known restaurant like McDonald’s, since she only visited Dollar Slice Club once.
“I’m definitely happy to hear that a McDonald’s is opening,” Aki said. “It’s just going to be so tempting when it’s right there, so I know that I will be going.”
Aki said that she is looking forward to having another affordable and fast place to eat after a night out with more diverse options.
Filza Ahmad, a recent UT alumna, said she is sad to miss out on the new McDonald’s opening.
“As a senior, I would have loved to have a McDonald’s nearby, because it would have been an alternative, cheaper place to eat,” Ahmad said. “At the end of the day, it would be cheaper than Dollar Slice.”
The price model of Dollar Slice Club charged a $5 monthly subscription fee, which reduced the prices of entrees, desserts and drinks to $1 for customers. Ahmad said that with new UT students coming to campus, the McDonald’s location will give the new generation the memories other restaurants on the Drag gave her.
“Whatever McDonald’s was supposed to serve, every other place (on campus) has already served for me,” Ahmad said. “It’s about to do that job (for) this new set of students.”