McDonald's in Pittsburgh's Strip District closes without explanation

Pittsburgh’s Strip District has a case of fallen arches.

A McDonald’s restaurant that been a longtime fixture along Penn Avenue in the Strip has closed without explanation, according to Dan Kamin, president of Kamin Realty and the property owner.

Kamin said McDonald’s corporate offices notified him in late fall that the restaurant would close by the end of 2019, even though the lease runs to this summer.

“There was no detail,” Kamin said. “Why they closed that location, I don’t know.”

Anne Christensen, a McDonald’s spokeswoman, said the company regularly reviews store portfolios “to make the best decisions for our business moving forward.”

“Closing a restaurant is a difficult decision in any town, but we look forward to continuing to serve our customers at our other McDonald’s restaurants in the neighboring communities,” she said.

The company last year reported its 16th consecutive increase in comparable-store sales globally, according to the Associated Press. On July 26, the company posted earnings of $1.52 billion, or $1.97 per share.

Kamin Realty purchased the property at Penn Avenue and 17th Street in 2014 and inherited the McDonald’s.

Kamin said he believed the restaurant had been there for at least 20 years. The company continues to pay rent on the property despite the closure, he said.

The Strip District, which has traditionally served as the city’s wholesale market featuring specialty foods and produce, has been the city’s fastest growing neighborhood in recent years with multiple office and residential buildings going up each year.

Kamin said he’s confident he can market the 12,000-square-foot lot for future development, noting its prominent location and the hot real estate market.

“I can’t do anything with it until the lease is up,” he said. “I can certainly do something with 12,000 square feet. What it is, I don’t know, but we have time.”