Ho-Lee-Chow, ubiquitous purveyor of pseudo-Chinese food, closes its many doors

Ho-Lee-Chow—that omnipresent bastion of quick, North Americanized Chinese food—is going out of business after 20 years. Around since 1989, Ho-Lee-Chow has been a fast-food mainstay in Toronto, seemingly always in eyeshot with its bright white decor and signature anti-MSG neon sign. The company’s Web site is currently down, and a phone message at the chain’s call centre says:

Due to circumstances beyond our control, one of which is the poor economic climate, another of which is a refusal to compromise on the quality and service you have come to appreciate, Ho-Lee-Chow has closed down operations.

While it’s unclear whether all of the chain’s locations will be closing, we’ve heard that at least one location, at St. Clair Avenue and Winona Drive, was still operating as of Wednesday night. Multiple calls to that location on Thursday, however, went unanswered. It is rumoured that some of the locations will continue to operate under different (and surely less hilarious) names.