Last night, we received word from tipster Melinda B. that the McDonald's located at 600 Van Ness Ave. could be on its way out:

@HoodlineSF tip: mcdonalds van ness closed. We heard sold for condos and employees fired without notice last night. — Melinda Byerley (@MJB_SF) January 22, 2015

Curious about the fate of this venerable fast food outpost, which has been around since 1978, we contacted McD's corporate headquarters and received the following confirmation from Director of Communications Rebecca Gallagher:

“After 36 years, the restaurant at 600 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco has closed. At this time, we have not entered into any discussions about the future of the property. We have been honored to serve our loyal customers and be a part of this community. Every effort is being made to relocate as many employees as possible to other restaurants. We appreciate the patronage of our customers and look forward to welcoming them to McDonald’s nearby locations.”

The building, located between Elm Street and Golden Gate Avenue on Van Ness, currently occupies 10,770 square feet on a 13,080 square foot land parcel, an appetizing chunk of city for any developer.

Back in 1997, according to permit records, a plan to erect a 13-story, 144-unit senior residential housing complex was put forward, but both demolition and construction permits lapsed in 2001.

Though we don't know what could be on the way for the piece of real estate, any residential building along that stretch of Van Ness, officially considered "an area with elevated pollutant concentrations," would need to include "enhanced ventilation" due to the high volume of traffic.

However, with the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Project underway, traffic congestion could see some reduction in the years ahead. The initiative will make one of the thoroughfare's three lanes transit-only, do away with most left turns on Van Ness, and remove parking spots in areas where center bus boarding platforms are planned.

If you're less interested in what might come next, and more concerned with where to get your local Big Mac fix, your nearest McDonald's locations are now 1100 Fillmore St. and 1455 Market St. However, neither has the ample seating of the now-shuttered two-story Van Ness location.