As a longtime Jackson McDonald’s faces a possible fall shutdown, Manchester Township officials are moving forward with plans for a new restaurant at a former TD Bank in Whiting.

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — One community could be losing its Golden Arches while another is preparing to welcome them. A longtime Jackson Township McDonald’s could close as early as November, while a new McDonald’s is moving forward in Whiting, where a vacant bank building is slated to make way for the fast-food restaurant.

The developments involve two locations in Ocean County, with the future of the Jackson restaurant still uncertain and plans for the Whiting location advancing through Manchester Township’s land-use process.

Manchester Mayor Joseph Hankins recently confirmed that McDonald’s is moving ahead with plans to redevelop the former TD Bank property at 88 Lacey Road in Whiting.

“I was at the Planning Board’s last meeting. The McDonald’s is moving forward. We will have a McDonald’s where the bank was right by the church,” Hankins said during a Township Council meeting, according to Jersey Shore Online.

Jackson McDonald’s could close by November

The announcement comes as the future of a familiar McDonald’s at Jackson Crossing remains in doubt.

In September, Shore News Network reported that employees at the McDonald’s on East Veterans Highway had been told the restaurant could close by November.

Workers also indicated that another operator was expected to take over the location, although no replacement business had been publicly identified.

The restaurant had previously appeared on the commercial real estate market, raising questions about the future of one of the remaining businesses at Jackson Crossing. It is expected to become a kosher restaurant, according to employees.

The shopping center, near South Hope Chapel Road and East Veterans Highway, has experienced years of tenant departures and a decline in retail activity due to the gentrification of Jackson Township as the growing Orthodox Jewish population continues to push out non-kosher restaurants and businesses via the demographic shift.

Some employees at the Jackson location will be given positions at other locations managed by the franchisee, including Lakehurst.

Whiting McDonald’s will replace vacant TD Bank

In nearby Manchester Township, the picture is different.

According to official Manchester Township Planning Board application documents, McDonald’s USA LLC submitted plans under application PB-2026-16 to develop the property at 88 Lacey Road, identified as Block 86, Lot 2.01.

The project would demolish the former TD Bank building and replace it with a 4,297-square-foot McDonald’s restaurant.

The plans call for approximately 50 seats, two drive-through lanes, digital ordering boards and designated curbside pickup areas.

It would become the first McDonald’s in Whiting, where Wendy’s has been one of the established fast-food options.

The proposal has advanced through the township’s planning process, although a construction start date and projected opening date have not been publicly established.

Not everyone in Whiting is excited about another fast-food chain

The proposed restaurant has already generated mixed reactions among local residents.

According to reporting by Jersey Shore Online, some residents welcomed the prospect of another restaurant in Whiting, while others questioned whether the community needed another national fast-food chain.

Some expressed a preference for a diner, Cracker Barrel or independently operated restaurant. Traffic concerns were also raised.

The Lacey Road corridor has experienced changes in recent years, including the arrival of Jersey Mike’s and the opening and subsequent closure of a Starbucks location.

The proposed McDonald’s would bring a new commercial use to a bank property that has sat vacant for several years.

McDonald’s also planning another Ocean County restaurant

Whiting is not the only Ocean County community where McDonald’s is pursuing redevelopment.

In May, the Toms River Planning Board approved a proposal for another McDonald’s at 1256 Indian Head Road, replacing a former Wells Fargo bank building near Home Depot.

That project calls for a restaurant measuring approximately 3,694 square feet with a dual-lane drive-through.