McDonald’s construction on Forbes halted due to safety permit violation

Since one of the most popular and cheapest restaurants on Forbes Avenue, McDonald’s, has been closed down for months, Pitt students are having a hard time finding cheap late-night bites. 

McDonald’s originally closed due to a renovation, but the construction was forced to stop because the Department of Permit, License and Inspection found that the restaurant hadn’t filed the proper paperwork for its sprinkler system. 

“For [the McDonald’s] to continue to work, we have to stop them from doing the work and have them submit the correct paperwork,” Olga George, press secretary for the mayor’s office, said. “It’s called the suppression system permits, and that’s regarding their sprinkler system.” 

Some Pitt students have expressed strong opinions about the closure. Ava LaGamba, a first-year biological science major, said she misses McDonald’s for its relative affordability.

“I am very upset about that. Do you know how much food us college kids could be getting at McDonald’s for such a less expensive price compared to Chipotle down the street? Everything else around is so expensive — it’s ridiculous,” LaGamba said. “It’s also so close by that would be convenient. And the fact we missed out on the $1 burger day is very upsetting to me.” 

George said the lack of a properly-filled sprinkler system permitted by the owners poses a safety risk not only to McDonald’s employees but also to the surrounding neighborhood. 

“If you make any changes to a sprinkling system that we don’t know about, and something happens, how can the city respond correctly with the firefighters and everyone else?” George said. 

City of Pittsburgh inspectors conduct routine inspections of restaurants and businesses throughout the city. According to George, the City discovered the missing paperwork at McDonald’s during one of these inspections. 

“The city does protocol to have inspectors drop in to make sure that any work being done is fitting the permit, especially with buildings. And that’s when the situation was discovered by an inspector that the permit and the work were not matching up,” George said. 

Upon further investigation, according to George, the City discovered that McDonald’s did have a permit for the sprinkler system, but also did alterations without notifying the City. 

“Sometimes I think people get excited and they have the permit and they just move ahead and make the alteration,” George said. “You cannot have a permit and do updates and changes to the work without us being notified.” 

Once the paperwork for the sprinkler system is approved and a new permit is issued, the McDonald’s on Forbes Avenue should be able to reopen. 

“The construction for the other parts were noted by us all. What was stopping them from continuing to work regarding the suppression on the sprinkler system, and they submitted the paperwork for that,” George said.

Although the exact date of the reopening is unknown, LaGamba said she is eager for McDonald’s to return. 

“We are broke — we need food that is cheaper. I hope it can open as soon as possible,” LaGamba said.