The last Whopper has been served and the final paper crowns handed out. At 2 pm on Thursday, January 1, the Burger King location at 314 Main Street East in Downtown Hawkesbury closed for good.
Franchise owner Jean-Guy Legault is originally from Cornwall and began his career with the burger and French fry chain in 1982. He opened the Hawkesbury Burger King as his own restaurant on May 5, 1987. In 1989, he also opened the original Pizza Pizza franchise in Hawkesbury, which was not connected with the current outlet in town.
Legault is retiring after 38 years owning and operating the Burger King franchise. He is planning to spend time volunteering in the community. His daughter, Carine Legault-Beauchamp, lives nearby.
Legault’s ownership of the Burger King franchise has outlasted many of the brand’s corporate owners. Currently, Burger King is brand of Restaurant Brands International, the same company that currently owns Tim Hortons. Previous Burger King corporate owners have included Pillsbury, liquor manufacturer Diageo, and Berkshire Hathaway.
As for the future of Burger King in Hawkesbury, Legault said the parent company had been looking for a new franchise owner for three years, but no interested party had come forward. He thinks that if another Burger King opens in Hawkesbury, it will likely be at another location. Legault said the corporate head office once wanted him to relocate to a new location near Highway 17, but he insisted on remaining downtown.
The operations of the fast-food business have changed significantly during the past 38 years. Legault remembers when there were actual cash registers on the counter and employees taking written orders and adding totals on pocket calculators if the cash registers weren’t working. Most contemporary fast service restaurants have electronic order kiosks now where the customer has very little interaction with a human employee.
“The business has gone electronic like crazy,” Legault remarked.
Legault said customer preferences have changed very little during his time owning and operating the restaurant, but their desire for value has increased.
“People are looking for deals more than ever before. We’ve been offering that since 1987,” Legault said.
Special promotions come and go at major hamburger chains, and that has been no exception in Hawkesbury with variations on Burger King’s trademark Whopper.
“One of the most popular ever was the Angry Whopper,” Legault commented.
When it closed, there were 16 full-time employees at Hawkesbury Burger King. Legault said some of those employees have found other jobs, while others are still looking for opportunities. Legault said he has had 604 employees at the restaurant during the past 38 years.
Legault thanked his staff and regular customers.
“They’ve been part of my family,” he remarked.
“We’ve hired their children and grandchildren to work here,” he noted.
Customers, family members, and former employees all gathered at the Hawkesbury Burger King at closing time on Thursday afternoon to honour Legault and the longevity of the business. There were many tears in the room along with hugs and best wishes. Legault again thanked everyone for their support.
The Mississauga-based Obsidian Group has purchased the property at 314 Main Street East and is planning to transform the site into one of its Chuck’s Roadhouse casual restaurants in the months ahead.
Photos: James Morgan
