From drug deals to 'racoon brawls': World's 'worst' McDonald's to shut down after 38 years
OTTAWA, CANADA: The fast food outlet located at 99 Rideau St, tagged as the world’s ‘worst’ McDonald’s, is shutting its door after running the business for 38 years. Though the dates have not been officially declared, as per multiple reports the franchise owner has decided not to renew the lease, which ends on July 1, 2023.
Following the news of its closure, hundreds of people gathered last weekend on April 2, with a few dressed as Ronald McDonald and boxes of french fries, as they held banners that read 'Rideau McDonald's Farewell March', states CBC. Keith de Silvia-Legault, a University of Ottawa student who organized the march, said, "Other than Parliament Hill, I would say it's our largest landmark. Every good story deserves a good ending," as per CTV News.
READ MORE
McDonald’s 2023 Menu: From wraps to McFlurry, check out the new additions
Why was Rideau McDonald's infamous?
The branch, which opened in 1985, went viral in 2013 after a huge brawl between customers broke out and a man pulled out a raccoon, who became the theme for the marchers and mourners on April 2, from underneath his shirt. From drug deals to brawls, the restaurant was reportedly responsible for 800 police call-outs in 2018 alone and Ottawa police received over 150 calls last year, as per Daily Mail.
'It's a running joke in Ottawa'
After several horrifying episodes, in 2019, then-police chief, Charles Bordeleau, sent a letter to the president and CEO of McDonald's Canada raising concerns over the "criminal activity and social disorder" at the Rideau branch. The branch then cut down its overnight shift and restricted the 24-hours to 6 am to 10 pm, reports Mirror. Later, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the branch closed its dining room. Speaking of it, Silvia-Legault said, "Before 2019, it was 24 hours. If you were coming back from a night out, you'd go to that McDonald's—well, you wouldn't go to that McDonald's because it would be crowded. It would be very hectic, there's a lot of fights there, it's a crime hot spot, but at the same time, it's kind of a funny place. It's a running joke in Ottawa," states CTV News.
Commenting on the closure, building owner Peter Crosthwaite, "The city tore up Rideau Street and put the subway in, then they re-tore it to enhance it, put curbing in. The freedom rallies and we had Covid; all these things are upheavals that can’t make it easy for a steady, reliable operation. They are a pretty dynamic organisation, 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." And added, "After 40 years, maybe it’s a nice thing to put a new face on the building. It sort of makes it a little more dynamic and exciting to the public when they see something new."
Though many celebrated the news, a few seemed to be a bit upset about it as the place worked as a shelter. Community organizer and former council candidate Laura Shantz expressed, "I worked for years in homelessness services and, for two bucks, you could get warm for an hour and that meant a lot to a lot of people. For all the bad stuff, to just simply have a spot where you could go and sit down and mind your own business and warm up, like, that's been a huge meeting point for a lot of people across the city from all walks of life and that's something that will be missed."