Last McDonald's in Downtown Pittsburgh expected to close

The last McDonald’s in Downtown Pittsburgh is expected to go dark by the end of April.

The fast food restaurant opted not to renew the lease at the spot on Stanwix Street just outside Market Square.

Nick Nicholas, who owns the building that housed the Golden Arches for about 50 years, said the restaurant had two, five-year options on its lease but chose not to exercise them. The lease ends April 30.

“I think it’s due to a lack of traffic Downtown and the various issues that everybody has been talking about,” Nicholas said. “They decided to call it a day.”

With more people working remotely or on hybrid schedules since the pandemic, traffic in the Golden Triangle has dropped, leaving many offices vacant and many restaurants seeking customers.

Nicholas said he is looking for another tenant for the building but isn’t sure about another fast food place.

“When it comes to fast food, most of your business is through the drive-thru and, when you’re Downtown, you don’t have that,” he said. “I don’t think it needs to be a food place, since there’s plenty of food in and around Market Square.”