Jason Gilleece and Sarah Fay were the first in line to enter the remodeled McDonald's location at 442 E. College Ave, winning them a free Big Mac Extra Value Meal for a year.

"We were confused that no one was here before us," Gilleece (sophomore-information sciences and technology) said, adding that he and Fay (freshman-human development and family studies) expected a crowd to be waiting already when they got to the front door at noon.

Seven hours later, Ronald McDonald and the Nittany Lion arrived together in a white limousine and cut the ribbon to signify the official reopening of the restaurant.

When the doors opened at 7 p.m., more than 200 students and State College residents had gathered outside. The line moved from down the block into the front entrance, where employees in formal attire greeted them.

As customers made their way to the counter, they had the opportunity to take pictures with the Nittany Lion, Ronald McDonald and other McDonald's characters or sit in red leather sofas around the fireplace.

Some patrons sat in the upstairs dining room, which has a clean, streamlined look with high-top tables, bistro-style seating and soft overhead lighting.

Others chose the sports bar-themed downstairs dining room, with six flat screen televisions and track lighting. Some admired the brushed aluminum walls lined with colorful artwork. Additional outdoor café seating will be available in the spring.

"This McDonald's is one of the largest in the state," Jeffrey Browne, regional marketing supervisor for McDonald's, said. "It's about 7,000 square feet."

The downtown State College McDonald's closed six months ago for renovations. The restaurant offered a coupon for a free Big Mac Extra Value Meal each week for a year to the first 100 patrons to enter the door on opening night, which prompted many students to wait in line for hours to get inside.

Andrew Northup (sophomore-accounting) said he and his friends arrived around 1:30 p.m.

"The line slowly started growing, and once it got around the corner, it exploded," Northup said. His group brought chairs and gathered around a game of Monopoly to pass the time.

John Deegan (junior-professional golf management) said he thinks the winter weather discouraged customers from lining up. Deegan said he and his friends planned to come out around 8 a.m. but actually went around 2:30 p.m. due to the weather.

"We planned to come out a lot earlier," he said. "But the snow kept people away."

Brandon Fazio (sophomore-landscape architecture) said he expected to see a large crowd waiting outside before the restaurant opened because people missed the restaurant when it was closed.

"[McDonald's] has been gone for so long," Fazio said. "I don't think they even had to give out free food."

Ahmad Al Ateeqi (senior-civil engineering) said he didn't hear about the event ahead of time.

"I was just passing by and I saw a bunch of people in line," Al Ateeqi said, adding that he waited for about three hours before getting his food.

Al Ateeqi said he wasn't bothered by the cold weather.

"I waited with a couple of friends, so it wasn't that bad," he said.

Cheryl Spring (freshman-pre-medicine) said she was interested in the event because of the excitement shown by the crowd.

"We saw people everywhere and wanted to know what was going on," Spring said. "I was so impressed. It was so much fun."

Rosemary Broome, local store manager for McDonald's Corporation of State College, said she is excited that McDonald's has returned to the downtown area.

"It's nice to be back home," Broome said. "This is the Penn State McDonald's."