Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WikiMedia/JeanGagnon
Topics: McDonalds, Canada, Food and Drink
Emily Brown
Topics: McDonalds, Canada, Food and Drink
An infamous McDonald's known for its fights and raccoony patrons is set to close its doors for good after almost 40 years of service.
Every McDonald's customer will know that each branch has its own quirks, but the location on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa is known better than most.
Over the years the restaurant has seen enough chaos to spark concern from the Police Chief of Ottawa, but it's always prevailed - until now.
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This week, the owner of the building on Rideau Street told CTV News Ottawa that the franchise decided not to renew the lease on the property, and that it would be closing its doors in April 2023.
It's the end of an era for many customers, and even fans of the restaurant online who became aware of its existence thanks to a 2013 video which showed a fight taking place, in the midst of which a man pulled a baby raccoon out of his sweater.
In 2018 alone, police received more than 800 calls about the location, and the following year then-Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau raised concerns about the location in a letter to President and CEO of McDonald's Canada, in which he referenced the 'ongoing criminal activity and social disorder' of the location.
The store ultimately reduced its hours from 24-hours to 6am to 10pm, but authorities still received a further 150 calls about the restaurant in 2022.
In a post on Reddit, a user claiming to be a former manager at the branch shared stories of customers getting down and dirty near the toilets of the restaurant, and even making alleged death threats to staff.
The goings-on at the restaurant have prompted some to dub it the 'world's worst McDonald's', with one customer on TripAdvisor describing it as 'simply vomit inducing and dangerous'.
Commenting on the decision to close its doors, building owner Peter Crosthwaite noted there are other challenges facing businesses in the area.
"The city tore up Rideau Street and put the subway in. Then they re-tore it to enhance it, put curbing in," Crosthwaite said. "The freedom rallies and we had Covid; all these things are upheavals that can’t make it easy for a steady, reliable operation."
The owner added: "They are a pretty dynamic organization, they have the right to look at different spots and maybe they felt the time was right. But there’s maybe things that made it seem more right than usual."
The McDonalds opened its doors on Rideau Street in 1985, and is currently open from 8am to 10pm daily for takeaway food only.
UNILAD has reached out to McDonald's for comment.