Fortunes Turn Sour For Ho-Lee-Chow Chinese Food Chain
An iconic GTA Chinese food chain made popular by its “No MSG” promise has closed most of its locations, citing poor economic conditions.
Hungry Torontonians calling Ho-Lee-Chow’s order line on Wednesday were greeted by an answering machine message in which the company thanked its customers for more than 20 years of business.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, one of which is the poor economic climate, another of which is a refusal to compromise on quality and service you’ve come to appreciate, Ho-Lee-Chow has closed down operations,” said a man’s voice. “We truly apologize for the inconvenience and thank you once again for your patronage.”
The company’s website was also taken down. There were unconfirmed reports late on Wednesday night that some non-franchised outlets in the GTA would remain open, but the location of those outlets is unclear.
Established in 1989 by Eric Johnson, a former compact disc/video mogul, Ho-Lee-Chow became known as an alternative to traditional fast food such as pizza and burgers.
“I always wondered why nobody with Western franchising skills wasn’t capitalizing on the Chinese food segment,” Mr. Johnson told Nation’s Restaurant News, an American weekly industry newspaper, in 1991.
“Sure, there were a few operations doing it, but it hadn’t been penetrated like chicken or burgers.”
