Construction watch: Fast food restaurant closing as other merchants struggle

The McDonald's restaurant at King Street and Moore Avenue in Kitchener is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.

Another business in the midtown area of Kitchener is shutting its doors due to ongoing construction.

CTV News has learned that the McDonald’s restaurant at King Street and Moore Avenue will close on Oct. 25.

A McDonald’s Canada spokesperson was unable to confirm if the restaurant would be rebuilt or relocated before this article was published.

Daniel Fil has worked at the location for the past three years.

“They were the only people willing to hire me at my age, with my disabilities,” he said in an interview.

“I’m going to have to try to find something else – and that’s not going to be very easy.”

Fil said that he and most other employees have been offered transfers to other McDonald’s outlets, but he’s not sure if he can take them up on it due to the length of the walk.

“I’m very grateful that they’re looking after us so well,” he said.

“The owner tried to hold out as long as he could, but he can’t operate at a loss.”

McDonald’s is far from the only business in the area to be put in a financial bind due to road construction.

Across the street, Laura Sharpe Flowers is believed to have closed its doors earlier this week.

The store was locked with no lights on during the midday hours Thursday, and phone calls to the business went unanswered.

An art and framing store has also left the area, although it didn’t go far.

The Framing and Arts Centre moved from a plaza at King and Moore to a new location on Belmont Avenue.

It feels “like magic” compared to what they were experiencing on King, according to the shop’s owner.

“It’s gone from being a total war zone … to bright sunlight, people walking by, no construction,” Kris Baker said in an interview.

King Street has been partially closed to traffic between Moore and Union Street since March.

A separate full closure between Moore and Victoria Street is expected to last until late 2016, as crews work to lower the street.

The plaza which previously housed The Framing and Arts Centre is also undergoing a total redevelopment, which is expected to push past that timeframe.

“It’s going to be beautiful when it’s done, but it would mean me not having a place for about a year and a half,” Baker said.

“We decided we’d better get out sooner.”