A Toronto-based group is set to open another Chinese restaurant at the location of the former infamous McDonald’s franchise across from the Rideau Centre. Kevin Houlahan, sales representative with Colliers Macaulay Nicolls Inc. brokerage, says the group Legend of Spice secured a lease to open a restaurant under the name Chai Men at 99 Rideau Street. Legend of Spice operates over a dozen restaurants across Canada, including another Chai Men location featuring traditional Sichuan cuisine in Richmond Hill, Ont. The restaurant is expected to open in the fall, faster than most restaurant openings because of the renovations and repairs made by the former tenants, another Chinese restaurant that closed in March. The foot traffic and added perk of having a turnkey operation made the site attractive to buyers, he said. “It wasn’t on the market that long after based on the fact that it was, from the days of McDonald’s to now, the site has been completely restored. It’s been brought back to base construction and then brought forward to a new restaurant, so everything in the facility is new,” he said. The location’s former tenant, 99 VIP Seafood restaurant, closed less than a year after it opened when the landlord terminated its lease for failing to pay $83,301.16 in “defaults and arrears” plus $1,800 in fees. Houlahan said the previous venture faced issues after a partnership deal between the owners of the restaurant collapsed. “It was an unfortunate situation in the last one,” he said. “Unfortunately, there was experience at the front-house, and there was a partnership that kind of dissolved, and the front-house experience was part of the partnership that dissolved.” Houlahan says he’s confident the new venture will be more successful than the last. “Very well organized, very driven with marketing and a much more in-depth experience group with this than the last,” he said. Houlahan did not disclose the terms of the new lease. The last restaurant had secured a 10-year lease in 2024. While the site has long attracted issues with safety and security in the area, he says the problems did not dissuade the new restaurant’s owners. “They were aware of the current state of the area, but they’re very optimistic and they look at the number of visitors that the Rideau Centre gets annually,” he said. “Were they interested in other areas in the city? No, they weren’t. They were interested in that area.” The address became infamous for its 24-hour McDonald’s location known for its frequent police calls and late-night incidents. In 2014, it became the centre of a viral video when a man brought out a live raccoon from his jacket during a fight inside the restaurant. When the franchise closed in 2023, some residents held a vigil to mark the end of the fast-food restaurant’s legacy. “People still talk about it,” Houlahan said. Another 24-hour takeaway-only McDonald’s location opened down the street last year at Dalhousie and Rideau streets.
