The notorious McDonald’s, based in Ottawa, Canada, which has seen more than 900 fights in recent years, will close after nearly 40 years of service.
Peter Crosthwaite, who owns the Rideau Street building, told CTV that the franchise owner has decided not to renew the lease as the restaurant is due to close in April.
The McDonald’s, which a former manager called “the worst,” is best known for viral video of a major brawl outside its doors in 2013, with customers exchanging punches while a man pulled a raccoon out of his jacket.
Constant fighting and unruly patrons prompted more than 800 calls to police in 2018 alone, prompting McDonald’s to suspend its 24-hour schedule, but Ottawa Police reported they still received more than 150 over the past year had received calls.
The McDonald’s on Rideau Street in Ottawa will close after years of hundreds of brawls breaking out inside its doors. His most notorious fight was a man pulling out a raccoon
Ottawa Police ordered the restaurant to end its 24-hour service schedule after more than 800 calls were made to police in 2018 alone. The restaurant is located at 99 Rideau
The video that disgraced the Rideau Street McDonald’s, which opened in 1985, begins with a group of men fighting in the restaurant surrounded by other customers.
The men exchange vicious punches with each other, and as more and more joined the fight, a man could be seen pulling out a raccoon and appearing to wield the animal as a weapon, before taking a step back from the chaos.
The man was seen holding the raccoon while shoving two others fighting alongside him.
As the thugs leave the restaurant, many spectators could be seen celebrating the fight they were witnessing.
The brawl wasn’t an isolated event, however, as video from 2018 shows a group of three men hitting each other with “wet floor” signs during a fight at 1 a.m.
The video, titled “Legendary Rideau McDonalds,” shows the men violently throwing the signs at each other as customers yell at them to stop while some cheer them on.
The men also exchange punches and kicks before one of them picks up a shield again and punches another in the head before walking away.
In a fight in 2018, a group of men with “Wet Floor” signs punched each other
That fight was the more than 800th this year, prompting then-Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau to send a letter to McDonald’s leadership in Canada about the “ongoing criminal activity and social unrest.”
Alongside the fighting, the restaurants were also plagued by an onslaught of disorderly customers, with many of the interactions being filmed.
A 2016 incident shows a man berating employees who yell at him to get out. He then takes off his shirt and warns the staff not to touch him.
Another video from this year shows a woman looking disoriented and yelling at employees for her bag as they try to keep her away and usher her out of the restaurant.
The incidents and police pleas eventually led to the 24-hour restaurant reducing its hours to 6am to 10pm, and while fighting was no longer as widespread, it was still a constant presence.
As well as constant fighting, the restaurant has also been plagued by unruly customers, including one who took off his shirt and began swearing at staff in 2016
Despite the fighting and unruly customers, Crosthwaite suggested that McDonald’s decision not to renew its lease with him was because revenue had fallen not because of regular chaos but because of changing city infrastructure.
“The city tore down Rideau Street and put in the subway. Then they ripped it open again to improve it and put a cap in it,” Crosthwaite told CTW.
“The freedom rallies and we had COVID, all of these things are upheaval that cannot make it easy for stable, reliable operations.”
McDonald’s Canada did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment.
Another recorded incident from 2016 showed a woman screaming for her bag as a group of staff tried to keep her away and direct her to the door