A Grand Day for a Grand Opening Dateline: Sep. 21, 2026 It was shirt sleeve weather with bright sunshine when town officials and residents joined McDonald's staff for the long awaited Grand Opening of the Allenstown Restaurant on September 18th.
Grand Opening September 18, 2026
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Town Hall Upon entering the restaurant and walking over to the cashier station, this festive balloon decoration caught the eye. It turned out to be a large order of French Fries cleverly implemented with red and yellow balloons.
Balloon Fries Two of the five Select Board members were able to join the festivities and congratulate Michael Gambino and Jeremy Hinton for opening this restaurant in Allenstown.
Select Board members Kris Fowler and Diane Adinolfo A few minutes later, Kris was joined by Police Chief Beth Tower, EMT Ron Adinolfo, and Fire Chief John Sartorelli. When at McDonald's, you of course order something to eat.
Several town officials waited for the ceremonies to begin. When Michael Gambino was asked about the number of people working here, he said, "We're up to 62 people. Due to state regulations, openers must be 18 or older." That is impressive since the shop is open from 5 a.m. to midnight. For the opening crew that means getting up way before 5 a.m. The CeremonyMichael Gambino opened the ceremony by telling us he got his start in this business 12 years ago. He thanked many people, including Pam Porier, Corporate Operations Consultant. He said, "She has helped me and our organization throughout the years." He thanked all the people who made this day possible.
He did note that the Allenstown team had received a lot of unfavorable pressure from some denizens (AKA Swamp Creatures) of the local Facebook sites.
Director Jeremy Hinton reached for a large poster of a $1,000 donation check and presented it to Police Chief Beth Tower. Flanking the Chief on the left were Area Supervisor Tara Furgal and Owner Michael Gambino, and on the right were Store Manager Renee Korona and Director Jeremy Hinton.
Donation awarded to the Allenstown Police Association
The next donation was awarded to the Firefighters Association. Accepting the donation were Fire Chief John Sartorelli, EMT Ron Adinolfo, Lieutenant Karen Tardif, Firefighter/EMT Charlie Watson, and Firefighter AEMT Seth Boden.
Mr. Hinton said that both departments have been great to work with.
Donation awarded to the Allenstown Firefighters Association
A final donation was presented to Ronald McDonald House, a nonprofit family and children's charity dedicated to supporting families with sick children in their time of need.
Donation awarded to Ronald McDonald House
The next event was to pick winners for the raffle. Here Jeremy Hinton shook the box of raffle tickets and Renee Korona picked a winner for the mountain bike.
Picking raffle winners
The first winner was announced and the mountain bike was brought out for all to see.
The mountain bike
The winners of the XBOX Console and $500 Gift Card were announced and displayed for attendees.
Raffle prizes on display
As a surprise, Jeremy Hinton singled out Michael Frascinella for the ongoing support and encouragement he provided for the business in the form of his news stories and coverage of opening day by the Concord Monitor. He also convinced the restaurant to offer a special food entree just for Allenstown: the Allenstown Meal Deal.
He then informed attendees of some special meal deals available until October 4th.
With the speeches and presentation done, attendees were invited outside for the official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony around the McDonald's Balloon Arches.
Jeremy Hinton and Michael Gambino pose under the Balloon Arches.
Video of the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
After the ceremony, Store Manager Renee Korona offered some background. She had worked for McDonald's for four years in Missouri and then moved to NH where she met her husband. They are currently looking for a home nearby.
She recently had a baby but came back to work as soon as possible. She has been working for McDonald's Corp. for eight years and for Michael Gambino since 2022.
She enthusiastically said "I love working here and look forward to a long rewarding career."
There are special deals available until October 4th. You might stop in and try the Allenstown Meal Deal.
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