The history of McDonald's at the SkyDome in Toronto

If you grew up going to the SkyDome throughout the 1990s, you probably remember a time when grabbing a cheesy McPizza before the big game was just as much a part of the quintessential ballpark experience as the seventh-inning stretch.

For those who aren't familiar, the SkyDome (now called the Rogers Centre, as we all know) was actually home to a multi-level McDonald's at street level near Gate 5.

Purported to be North America's largest McDonald's at one point, the restaurant became a familiar spot to grab the chain's classic menu items, along with ballpark specials like the one-and-only McHotdog and coveted McPizza.

A photo of two employees at the McDonald's inside the SkyDome. Photo: Old Ontario Series.

Around the rest of the stadium, SkySnacks counters served many of the same McDonald's items, so you didn't have to walk all the way to the main restaurant to get your Big Mac fix.

The massive restaurant was a day-one tenant when the SkyDome debuted on June 3, 1989, a few weeks after the opening day of the 1989 Blue Jays season, which took place at Exhibition Stadium instead due to the delayed construction for the long-awaited retractable-roof ballpark that would replace the patchwork outdoor park.

Earlier that year, McDonald's was awarded concessionary rights to the SkyDome, and soon, outlets adorned with the chain's signature golden arches began to pop up all over the stadium. According to a 1993 YTV video, McDonald's boasted 23 outlets on three out of five SkyDome levels at one point, serving up everything from cheesy nachos and candy floss to donuts and Italian sausage.

To develop their signature McHotdog, McDonald's officials reportedly travelled to over 20 stadiums across North America to sample products and figure out how to adapt the chain's system to offer traditional stadium fare.

At the time, the chain employed roughly 1,600 workers at its outlets throughout the stadium, although only 400 were required to work for each game. If a game kicked off at 7:30 p.m., McDonald's employees were required to show up at 5 p.m., and were done for the day at approximately 10 p.m.

As part of its concession agreement, McDonald's was required to sell hot dogs at the SkyDome, although this particular clause ruffled some feathers.

According to a 1993 article from United Press International, McDonald's caught some flak from the other 25 independent hot dog vendors that were licensed to operate outside of the sports stadiums. Those vendors pointed out that the chain was undercutting its own prices by selling hot dogs outside of the stadium for $2, instead of the $3 it typically charged inside the stadium.

On top of this, vendors claimed that McDonald's misled consumers by using unmarked carts, which ultimately led the chain to stick to just selling its products inside the stadium.

Still, this controversy did little to shake up McDonald's reputation among Blue Jays fans, who happily stood in line for — at times —several innings, especially during the 1993 World Series run.

McDonalds @ The Skydome!
by u/TemoSahn in Torontobluejays

Despite its popularity, McDonald's stopped operating concession stands at the stadium after the 1999 season. In 2000, Buffalo-based Sportservice Corp. signed a 25-year food service contract with the SkyDome, replacing McDonald's stands throughout the stadium with more traditional, ballpark vendors.

Just a few years later, the SkyDome faced another major transformation when it was renamed the Rogers Centre.

While the days of munching on a Quarter Pounder while watching a Jays game are in the past, for many '90s kids in Toronto, the sight of those glowing golden arches rising beyond the right-field foul pole is still one of the most unforgettable parts of the SkyDome era.