McDonald's Canada

McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Limited(French:Les Restaurants McDonald's du Canada Limitée) is the Canadianmaster franchiseof the fast-food restaurant chainMcDonald's, owned by the American parent McDonald's Corporation. One of Canada's largest fast-food restaurant chains, the franchise sells food items – including hamburgers, chicken, French fries and soft drinks – all across the country. McDonald's is known for itshigh fat and calorie foods. McDonald's was Canada's largest food-service operator before being overtaken byTim Hortonsin 2005.
The logo of McDonald's in Canada can be identified by the redmaple leafon the company's golden arches. The slogans used in Canada arei'm lovin' itin English andc'est ça que j'min French. McDonald's Canadian operations are headquartered in theNorth Yorkarea ofToronto, Ontario. The current president and CEO of McDonald's in Canada is Michèle Boudria. As of 2022, McDonald's Canada had 1,462 stores (including restaurants inside manyWalmart Canadalocations) in Canada, and more than 90,000 Canadian employees.
Chicago-bornGeorge Cohonfounded the company. The first store opened in 1967 inRichmond, British Columbiaas the Western Canadian franchisee and operated with the U.S. operations. Cohon was the Eastern Canadian franchise and opened his store in 1968 on Oxford Street West in London, Ontario.In 1971, Cohon merged the two operations to one national operation. Cohon was responsible for developing the eastern Canadian franchises.
McDonalds Canada was a food sponsor atEXPO 86with their floating restaurant nicknamed theMcBarge.
In 1989, McDonald's was awarded the concessionary rights to the newly builtSkyDomein Toronto. One of the requirements was to sell hotdogs, resulting in the first time McDonald's sold the product. Part of the stadium also included the largest McDonald's in Canada. The now closed restaurant was located at the base of theCN Tower.In 1993, the franchise briefly sold hot dogs outside the venue at reduced prices and in unlabelled carts, which was criticized by the other 25 hot dog vendors.The firstPlayPlaceopened inNiagara Falls, Ontarioin 1995.
The flagship location opened in 2013 near theYonge-Dundas Squarein Toronto.Poutinewas launched as a menu item nationally in 2013 (it was previously available only inQuebec).In 2015, the company noted reduced customer traffic.That same year, salads were launched, with sodium and fat content that were comparable to other menu items.Salads were then discontinued during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Canada.In 2020, McDonald's partnered with Snapchat, with some job applicants sending 30-second videos through the platform.In 2021, locations in Ontario attachedCOVID-19 vaccineflyers to takeout orders.
McDonald's Canada was criticized for its use of theTemporary Foreign Workers Program.These workers could be paid less than other employees, which is attractive to employers wishing to cut costs.Three of its franchises inVictoria, British Columbiawere federally investigated for their use of the program. McDonald's Canada also stated that it would conduct a review.In a conference call to the franchisees about the program, McDonald's Canada CEO John Betts stated: "the fact of the matter is we are a big bad company corporate you know, bad company. And these poor maligned employees, are who they are ... This has been an attack on our brand ... This is an attack on our people. It's bullshit."These locations had their permits for the program suspended during the investigation.
On May 1, 2023, a McDonald's franchise in Ottawa, referred to as theRideau Street McDonald'sdue to its location at 99 Rideau Street, was closed indefinitely after the franchise owners chose to not renew their lease.The Rideau McDonald's had been dubbed as the "World's Worst McDonald's" by theToronto Stardue to its reputation of being a "flashpoint for crime".In April 2019, Ottawa Police Chief,Charles Bordeleau, wrote a letter to McDonald's Canada CEO, stating that "Officers of the Ottawa Police Service attend this location on a daily basis to address issues including vagrancy, liquor licence violations, illicit drug use, and incidents of violence," and that he believed the 99 Rideau location was "breaching your standards of operation".In response, McDonald's Canada reduced the restaurants hours from 24 hours to 6 am to 10 pm.In January 2023, the Rideau McDonald's franchise owners stated that they were not renewing their lease and the restaurant would close.In response to the closure, a group ofUniversity of Ottawastudents organized a fundraiser and food drive referred to as the Rideau McDonald's Farewell March on March 19, 2023.The Farewell March had over 200attendees and raised over $1,900 for local charities such asOperation Come Home.