>
The infamous Ottawa, Canada-based McDonald’s, which has seen more than 900 fights in recent years, is closing after nearly 40 years of service.
Peter Crosthwaite, owner of the building on Rideau Street, said CTV that the franchise owner decided not to renew the lease, and the restaurant would close in April.
The McDonald’s, which one former manager called “the worst,” is best known for a viral video of a 2013 major fight inside its doors that saw customers trading blows as a man pulled a raccoon out of his jacket.
Constant fighting and unruly guests led to more than 800 calls to the police in 2018 alone, prompting McDonald’s to drop its 24-hour hours, but Ottawa police reported they still received more than 150 calls last year. .
The McDonald’s on Ottawa’s Rideau Street will close after years of hundreds of fights inside its doors. Their most infamous fight involved a man taking out a raccoon.
Ottawa police urged the restaurant to end its 24-hour operating hours after more than 800 calls were made to the police in 2018 alone. The restaurant is located at 99 Rideau.
The video that brought infamy to the Rideau Street McDonald’s, which opened in 1985, begins with a group of men fighting inside the restaurant, surrounded by other customers.
The men trade vicious blows with each other, and as more join the fight, one man can be seen taking out a raccoon, appearing to brandish the animal as a weapon before stepping back into the chaos.
The man could be seen holding the raccoon as he pushed two others who were fighting alongside him.
As the fighters leave the restaurant, many spectators could be seen celebrating the fight they witnessed.
The fight 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 1am brawl.
The video, dubbed ‘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 trade punches and kicks, before one of them raises a sign and hits another over the head before walking away.
A 2018 fight featured a group of men beating each other with ‘Wet Floor’ signs
That fight was the one of more than 800 that year that ultimately prompted then-Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau to send a letter to Canada’s McDonald’s leadership about “ongoing criminal activity and social disorder.”
Along with the fights, the restaurants were also plagued by a rush of disorderly customers, with many of the interactions being filmed.
A 2016 incident shows a man cursing at staff who yell at him to leave. He then proceeds to remove his shirt and warns the employees not to touch him.
Another video from that year shows a woman who appears disoriented yelling at employees for her bag as they try to keep her away and direct her out of the restaurant.
The incidents and pleas from the police eventually led the 24-hour restaurant to reduce its hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and while fights were no longer as frequent, they were still a constant presence.
Along with the constant fighting, the restaurant has also been plagued by unruly patrons, including one who took off his shirt and started cursing at the staff in 2016.
Despite the fights and unruly customers, Crosthwaite suggested that McDonald’s decision not to renew its lease with him was the result of falling revenue not because of regular chaos, but because of changes in the infrastructure of the store. town.
“The city ripped up Rideau Street and put the subway in. Then they rebuilt it to make it better, put in curbs,” Crosthwaite told CTW.
“The freedom marches and we had COVID, all of these things are disruptions that cannot facilitate a stable and reliable operation.”
McDonald’s Canada did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Another incident recorded in 2016 showed a woman screaming for her bag as a group of employees tried to keep her away and direct her towards the door.