On May 7th, a construction crew positioned one of BART’s decommissioned “legacy cars” in its new home in Downtown Hayward. It’s about to become the newest location of Arthur Mac’s, a family-friendly beer garden serving pizza by the slice, located right across the street from the MacArthur BART station.
According to a video that BART posted to Instagram last week, the restaurant is expected to open its doors in the late summer or early fall.
Arthur Mac’s Downtown Hayward
Arthur Mac’s, which takes its name from the MacArthur BART station, has two other locations in Emeryville and Oakland. They’re selling the Oakland location in order to build out the Hayward restaurant, which will be almost twice as big.
Owner Joel DiGiorgio plans to retain the character of the ’70s-era BART car by setting up four-top tables in the original train car seats and decorating the ad spaces with ’90s Bay Area references. The front of the cab will keep the original seat and control panel for visitors to explore.
“This is in part why we named our family restaurant after a BART station, as it played into Bay Area culture and shared nostalgia,” DiGiorgio said. “We also believe that public transportation is a pillar of the American Dream… Public transportation gives us all a chance while acting as the connective tissue of our extended and disparate communities.”
More about BART’s legacy car decommissioning program
BART gifted the car to Arthur Mac’s as part of its legacy car decommissioning program, designed to repurpose cars from the 50-year-old legacy fleet that BART retired in 2024.
Members of the public submitted proposals for repurposing the retired cars, and BART selected eight recipients.
In addition to Arthur Mac’s, you can look for the legacy fleet cars serving as a concession stand for the Oakland Ballers, a regional fire training center, and features of the Western Railway Museum’s soon-to-open Rapid Transit History Center, among other things. BART still retains possession of one car with a plan to turn it into a bike shop and clubhouse for Oakland youth.
