After years of operation, the last McDonalds in West Hartford has officially closed on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. It was located in the plaza in Bishops Corner with neighboring businesses like Dunkin’ Donuts and Panera Bread. All that’s left is a sign on the door directing customers to the McDonalds in Hartford. The reason for the closure is unknown, but there have been a few speculations.

Some people, like Hall High math teacher Thomas Ledvorowski, believe that the absence of a drive-through may have played a large role in the closing. He said,”West Hartford likes to keep Bishops [Corner] very pedestrian, and they don’t want to have a drive-through. McDonalds thrives on their drive-throughs.”

A different opinion was given when the McDonald’s manager was questioned about the closing. According to an article from Patch News, written by Micheal Lemanski, the manager said, “No one wants to work, but could it be the level of pay doesn’t match the cost of living?” The low wages severely decrease people’s incentive to work, it becomes difficult when other fast-food businesses are offering higher salaries. Regardless of the reason why it closed, students in the Hall community are devastated.  

Hall High School students took the closing to heart. Maddie Maxwell, a senior at Hall and frequent McDonald’s customer said the closing is “absolutely heartbreaking”. She enjoyed getting food there with her friends after her games and after school on short days, such as Wednesday. She now has to resort to Five Guys, a much more expensive burger joint. According to the Five Guys Menu, a simple cheeseburger costs $10.69, while the McDonald’s menu has Big Macs for only $5.39.  

In addition to Maddie Maxwell, Aidan Arnold, another senior at Hall is also not happy about the closing. He said, “It’s detrimental to the West Hartford community, I myself go there quite often, and I am sad to see it go”. Aidan would go at least once a week, most often on the weekends with his friends. It became a sacred place after Friday night football games for the entire Hall community. Which now leaves Aidan keeping his ‘eye open for different options’. 

With such disappointment from students in the Hall community, they are eager to see what will fill the empty restaurant. Aidan would like to see a Chipotle, while Mr. Ledvorowski would like to see a deli place take McDonald’s place. There have been a few rumors among the Hall student body of Jersey Mikes, a submarine sandwich chain, coming into the plaza, but nothing has been confirmed yet. All that is known is that the closing of a staple in West Hartford has left many people with mixed emotions, leaving them to question if the new restaurant will live up to the legacy of the long-standing McDonald’s.