The world’s worst McDonald’s is shutting down. It has nothing to do with soggy fries

After over 40 years of feeding hungry customers, the McDonald's restaurant considered to be the "worst in the world" is permanently closing its doors, making life considerably simpler for Ottawa City's police department.

The café on Rideau Street in the Canadian capital will be shutting down this April, marking the end of an era for a place that the Ottawa police chief once referred to as a “beacon of chaos,” according to Metro.co.uk.

Also read: TikTok user receives $5,000 with his McDonald’s order; what he does next wins hearts

World’s worst McDonald’s in Canada

The notorious Mickey D’s café has witnessed far more than its fair share of bizarre and dangerous incidents, including drug deals, huge fights between customers, and sexual activities occurring in the restrooms, ever since it opened its door in 1985.

More from Explainers

According to Metro.co.uk, the restaurant is likely best known for a 2013 video that went viral and showed a massive fight. More than 15 men were seen fighting on the grounds and hurling objects at one another. Unexpectedly, one of the men pulled a raccoon out of his jacket and charged into the fight.

In the same year, a video clip known as "Legendary Rideau McDonald's" came to light in which three men were shown using floor signs to beat one another.

Additionally, police were called over 800 times to the fast-food chain location in 2018, which meant over two emergency calls every single day. The number went down to 150 times in 2022, reported Canadian news outlet CTV News.

The McDonald's restaurant finally cut back on its hours due to an increase in anti-social behaviour. The opening hours reduced from 24-hours to 6 am to 10 pm for good.

According to Mirror, when things got even worse, Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau complained about the "ongoing criminal activity and social disorder" in a letter to the President and CEO of McDonald's Canada.

Also read: Channeling comfy vibes, McDonald's in Poland gets knit-inspired makeover

‘Lease problems’, not increasing criminal activity – main reason for shutting down

The restaurant's closure has primarily been attributed to leasing issues rather than the regular occurrences that damaged the Golden Arches' and the restaurant's reputations.

Another Canadian news outlet CBC quoted the building’s property manager Peter Crosthwaite as saying, “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,” he told the Canadian news outlet.

Also read: US Police under scrutiny after woman of colour punched repeatedly by Ohio cops; watch video

Mixed reaction

There were mixed reactions when Ottawans learnt about the 40-year-old McDonald's shutting down, with several saying it had become an eyesore, and even a hazard in recent years.

A local named Hayley Gleiser told CBC news, “The past three, four years of COVID, it's just turned it into complete trash.”

Another resident identified as Jack Graham said, “I was here about a week and a half ago. And I just felt I was slipping, so I looked [at my shoe] and there’s a needle.”

Not everybody is content with the café’s departure.

The building property manager Crosthwaite told the outlet that he is not sure why the lease was not simply extended and that McDonald’s had been “a great tenant for almost 50 years. They are smart people. Maybe it was time for a change – maybe they didn’t feel comfortable.”

For people, who often relied on the café for an affordable meal, it’s a piece of “devastating” news. John Sen told CBC that the café’s closure is a “significant kind of deprivation" for people who are homeless or have lower incomes.”

He said, “Homeless people are sometimes outside the McDonald's and if they get a little bit of money, they'll go inside and grab a meal.”

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,

India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.