MONROE - President Clinton yesterday took a step on the road to being ordinary-citizen Clinton, pulling off the road for a lunch at the McDonald's on LaPlaisance Road, just west of I-75.

Mr. Clinton halted his motorcade for some fast food after ceremonially handing over the reins of the Democratic Party to Vice President Gore, who will receive the party's presidential nomination tomorrow.

Mr. Clinton stunned the local residents when he entered.

"Everybody in the lobby started going crazy," said Katie Tolles, 16, of Erie, who was working behind the counter. She first heard murmurs in the crowd - "The President's here!"

"I just blew it off - 'Yeah. Right. Whatever,' " Miss Tolles recalled. "I glanced over the counter and saw Hillary first. Then I saw Bill. He was real nice. The Secret Service was checking everybody out."

How does a counter worker greet a President?

"Hi. Can I help you?" Miss Tolles, a soon-to-be junior at Mason Consolidated High School, said.

Mr. Clinton ordered a crispy chicken sandwich, large fries, and a large Coca-Cola. His daughter, Chelsea, ordered an ice cream cone - vanilla, the only flavor the restaurant has - and said she had not been to a McDonald's in eight years.

Mrs. Clinton ordered a medium iced tea.

The crew forgot to get the President's autograph on the family's receipt. Afterward, they printed out 20 copies.

But the President, First Lady, and First Daughter did step behind the counter to have their photo taken with the crew.

"His hair is a lot whiter in person," Miss Tolles said.

The President emerged from the restaurant with a large cola in his hand. "You know, it was a regular thing of mine when I was a private citizen, so maybe I'll do it some more now," he said.

Although Mr. Clinton's fondness for french fries is legendary, he has mostly stayed away from fast food since early in his presidency, when he would stop by McDonald's for coffee on his morning jog.

"If I'm going to be a [private] citizen again, I'm going to have to start getting used to it," he said.

The counter clerks refused Mr. Clinton's payment, but relented when he offered his $20 bill as a tip. "You guys go out and have some fun," he said.

First Published August 16, 2000, 4:00 a.m.