The Golden Arches are expanding their reach and will soon be bringing a fast-food feast to the western bowl section of Prince George.
McDonald’s bought the site of the iconic China Sail restaurant at Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard and last week the demolition began.
The site has been cleared for a new McDonald’s restaurant and construction will begin as soon as possible, according to Eric Simmons, the company’s Prince George operations manager. When it opens, it will be the eighth McDonald’s restaurant in the city.
“The big thing is the density of the residential area, Prince George is growing rapidly and it was a site we were definitely interested in when we heard it was for sale,” said Simmons. “You’ve got D.P. Todd high school there and the city continues to grow and we think it’s a great location.
“It will be similar to all our other restaurants, it will have drive-through, dine and McDelivery. It will not have a Playland. It’s hard to say (when it will open), it depends on the construction process and how long it takes.”
The new restaurant will create dozens of jobs, full- and part-time, and Simmons said the hiring process will likely begin in the late fall and some of the students at D.P. Todd stand to benefit as future employees.
“We’re definitely a youth employer,” said Simmons.
Simmons understands some neighbouring residents are wondering about the negative effects of having a burger restaurant in the area and what that might do to create litter and affect air quality, but he doesn’t anticipate that being a problem.
“We have McDonald’s in many residential areas and we don’t any concerns from residents typically from that perspective,” said Simmons.
“We have many (food) options available and customers have a wide variety of choices and generally they love our food.”
The original China Sail was opened in 1977 in College Heights on McGill Crescent by owners Joe and Mae Ng, who came to Prince George from Hong Kong. They operated the restaurant at that location until late in 1988, when it was destroyed in a fire. They set up a new restaurant in Tabor Plaza at First Avenue and Tabor Boulevard, which opened in June 1989. The business proved so popular with customers a much larger restaurant at the Fifth and Tabor site was built by the Ngs and three other partner families – Ken and Hermie Chen, Helen and Tim Chow, and Thomas and Jenny Tse. Billed as the largest Chinese restaurant north of Vancouver, it opened in December 1992, with 242 seats. It closed permanently in March when the owners retired.
Work began in the spring on a McDonald’s at Highway 16 and Vance Road, the former site of a gas station. Built along the busy highway corridor, it’s expected to open sometime in October.
“The College Heights area is a very dense area,” said Simmons. “We’re always looking for location that can service a wide variety of people and that one seemed to fit.”
There is speculation the Highway 16 location will replace the McDonald’s located in a strip mall at 5099 Domano Blvd., but Simmons was unable to confirm that. The eight Prince George McDonald’s restaurants are owned by Brian Boresky of Fort St. John.
