No Replacement Yet For Closed McDonald's In Trumbull Mall: Report

TRUMBULL, CT — Though the McDonald's in the Westfield Trumbull closed late last month, the operators of the mall do not appear to be in a rush to fill the vacancy, the Connecticut Post reported.

The McDonald's reportedly had been at the mall for 15 years, and joins Wahlburgers and Subway, which also have recently closed locations in the mall.

It's not often that McDonald's closes locations, and the Trumbull mall spot was a staple of the food court. The popular chain had 157 locations in Connecticut as of 2016, according to the food website Rare.us.

But the closure is in keeping with the chain's recent shift out of in-store locations to more stand-alone sites with drive-thrus.

In 2021, McDonald's closed about 200 of its locations inside Walmarts, leaving only about 150 sites in the department stores, according to CNBC and media reports.

You can largely thank the coronavirus pandemic for the change, as shoppers increasingly turned to online retailers instead of in-store buying. That shift also helped lead to more people hitting up drive-thrus for their food, while restaurants were closed.

Patrick Madden, the Trumbull mall's vice president of shopping center management, told the Connecticut Post that they had hoped to keep the McDonald's, but he understood the changing dynamic.

When contacted by Patch for comment, a spokesperson for McDonald's corporate office did not shed any light on the decision to close the Trumbull mall location.

"Thanks for your inquiry," the spokesperson wrote in an email. "We will look into it and be in touch if there’s any information to share regarding the restaurant."

The mall still has plenty of food options, such as a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, which opened in the food court last month across from the now-vacant McDonald's.

Additionally, a Guacamole's Mexican Cuisine is slated to open in the mall in the near future.

Read the Connecticut Post story; read the CNBC story; and read the Rare story.