I always thought this was taken in Kalamazoo, MI. Cool little story.

Rock and Roll Gallery’s Shot Talk. Photographer, Richard Upper, Van Halen 1978

Iconic Crestwood McDonald’s to be rebuilt by September
Posted: May 13, 2022 / 01:12 PM CDT
Updated: May 13, 2022 / 01:12 PM CDT

CRESTWOOD, Mo. – Crestwood McDonald’s is getting a new look. The building on 9915 Watson Road was recently demolished and the construction of a new McDonald’s restaurant is expected to be complete by this summer. This is the third time it has been rebuilt from the ground up.

The owner’s representative says that work on the new building is scheduled to be complete by the end of August. The new restaurant will include McDelivery pick-up stations, digital self-order kiosks in the lobby, bright and easy-to-read digital menu boards, and a new and improved dining room.

The location was originally built in 1959 and was the first McDonald’s in Missouri. It is on historic Route 66 and is the focus of a rather famous photograph. Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth stopped by radio station KSHE to promote their tour on March 5, 1978. The McDonald’s was located just down the street from the radio station. A short documentary was made about the unique stop in a St. Louis suburb.

Rock-and-Roll photographer Richard Upper took the iconic photo of the musicians in front of the golden arch, with burgers in their hands. He says that it is one of the most famous images he shot. In 2021 one of the signed prints was raffled off to keep live music going during the pandemic.

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/crestwood-mcdonalds-site-of-famed-van-halen-pic-reopens-thursday/

Crestwood McDonald’s, site of famed Van Halen pic, reopens Thursday
by: Kevin S. Held
Posted: Sep 28, 2022 / 03:54 PM CDT

CRESTWOOD, Mo. — More than 44 years ago, photographer Richard Upper took one of the most iconic pictures in rock and roll history — outside a McDonald’s in the suburbs of St. Louis, of all places.

Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth had just finished an appearance at the KSHE radio station in Crestwood to promote their eponymous debut album and tour, and were hungry. The two men, accompanied by Upper, went down Watson Road to the nearby McDonald’s.

https://rockandrollgallery.com/products/van-halen-item-vh-ru-001

Upper, either sensing the moment or perhaps to amuse himself, snapped a photo of the two young bell bottom-clad rockers in their Army surplus jackets, standing in front of the giant McDonald’s sign and its single arch.

Upper will return to Crestwood Thursday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand reopening of a newly-renovated McDonald’s at the same location. His photo of Van Halen and Roth will hang permanently in the dining room.

McDonald’s franchisee Nolan Ruiz in front of an historic photo of Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth at the Crestwood McDonald’s (circa 1978). (Source: John Frey Photography)