An infamous McDonald’s location in Ottawa, Canada is set to close its doors for good after almost 40 years of service. The restaurant on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa is known for its fights and raccoony patrons, and has seen enough chaos to spark concern from the Police Chief of Ottawa. However, despite the chaos, the restaurant has always managed to prevail – until now.
This week, the owner of the building on Rideau Street announced that the franchise had decided not to renew the lease on the property and that it would be closing its doors in April 2023. In 2018 alone, police received over 800 calls about the location, and the following year, police received more than 100 calls. The restaurant’s reputation was solidified in 2013 when a video of a fight at the location went viral, in which a man pulled a baby raccoon out of his sweater.
In addition to the high number of police calls, the McDonald’s location on Rideau Street was also known for its health code violations, dirty conditions, and unruly patrons. Despite multiple attempts to clean up the restaurant and improve its reputation, the franchise ultimately decided it was not worth renewing the lease.
Many locals and regular customers were disappointed to hear of the closure, with some even calling it the “end of an era.” Some felt that the restaurant had a certain charm, despite its issues. “It had character, it had a vibe,” said customer Michael Souligny. “It’s like the end of an era, it’s like losing an old friend.”
But for others, the closure of the “world’s worst McDonald’s” came as a relief. Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said in a statement, “The McDonald’s restaurant on Rideau Street has been a source of concern for many years. The Ottawa Police Service has responded to that location on numerous occasions and the closure of the restaurant is welcome news.”
Despite the negative reputation of the Rideau Street location, McDonald’s as a whole continues to thrive globally. The fast-food giant has over 38,000 locations in over 100 countries, serving millions of customers every day. The closure of one location, no matter how infamous, will not impact the overall success of the brand.
As for the future of the Rideau Street building, it is currently unclear what plans the owner has for the property. Many are hopeful that a new business will move in and bring a fresh start to the area.
The McDonald’s restaurant on Rideau Street in Ottawa, known for its fights, raccoony patrons and numerous police calls, is set to close its doors for good, after almost 40 years of service. The location had a reputation for being the “world’s worst McDonald’s” and despite multiple attempts to clean up the restaurant and improve its reputation the franchise ultimately decided it was not worth renewing the lease. While it is the end of an era for many customers and an iconic place for many locals, for others it came as a relief, as the restaurant had been a source of concern for many years.
