McDonald’s gone from Spring Hill Mall

Jorge Ortiz took his grandchildren to the McDonald’s at Spring Hill Mall Monday, hoping they could complete their collection of figurines from the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie.

But it was not meant to be because, after 21 years, the restaurant closed more than two weeks ago.

Talks to renew its lease collapsed between General Growth Properties, which owns the mall, and Bearco Management, which operated that McDonald’s and owns several others in the area.

Its lease ended on New Year’s Eve.

“We’re done,” David Bear, vice president and chief operating officer of Bearco, said Monday. “We put all our cards on the table at the time. We told them what we needed and the benefit ... and their upper management just wouldn’t agree to the terms of the lease we needed.”

Bear declined to disclose those terms. Spring Hill General Manager Amy Prew was unavailable for comment.

The mall’s McDonald’s originally opened on Halloween in 1990 and its lease ended six years ago. At that time, the lease was extended until Dec. 31, 2011. Negotiations began in October, but ultimately fizzled.

Its 18 employees have all secured employment either at Bearco’s other McDonald’s or at other places in the mall, Bear said.

“It was a sad day for us to close down on 12-31,” Bear said. “We did everything in our power we could to make a deal.”

Bearco owns 10 other McDonald’s in Elgin, South Elgin, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates and Barrington.

Profit-wise, the Spring Hill Mall location earned the least of Bear’s stores.

The other locations had later hours, drive-thrus and were more visible. Bear has no plans to open another McDonald’s in the area, saying it is already well served.

“We don’t believe that closing that location is going to create any financial hardship for our organization,” Bear said, adding that he will make up for the loss of revenue by building sales in the remaining restaurants.

Managers at the food court had mixed reactions to the vacancy.

Sbarro Manager Maria Ruiz said the closure has been good for her eatery.

It was previously making $700 daily, but is now making $800 a day, she said.

Tim Tam, manager of Manchu Wok, said that while business hasn’t changed, between 10 and 15 people a day are asking him what happened to McDonald’s. He said McDonald’s, compared to his restaurant, was more popular with children because it offered Happy Meals with toys.

Ortiz’s grandchildren, Brian, 5, and Briana, 3, both of Elgin, were hoping to get “Theodore” from the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie — to complete their set.

Now, they’ll just have to wait.

“I don’t know what closed the restaurant but we came just to eat at McDonald’s,” Ortiz said.