This McDonald’s restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand, is located inside a decommissioned plane.
EQRoy/Shutterstock
Some McDonald’s restaurants are found in downright strange locations.
One McDonald’s restaurant in Taupo, New Zealand, is located inside a decommissioned plane.
A glass-walled McDonald’s restaurant has received an award for its impressive architecture.
tishomir/Shutterstock
It is the oldest surviving McDonald’s location in the world. It doesn’t even have a drive-thru — instead, customers walk up to the restaurant’s windows to order.
David McNew/Getty Images
Speedee, a chef with a hamburger for a head, appeared on the original McDonald’s signs alongside the brand’s logo of two interlocking golden arches.
Some signs also advertised the low price of McDonald’s hamburgers — just 15 cents at the time.
Zhang Peng/LightRocket/Getty Images
Before being converted into a McDonald’s and McCafe restaurant, the building was known as a cultural relic that was the residence of politician Chiang Ching-kuo for one month during the 1940s.
STR/AFP/Getty Images
Many locals objected to the restaurant opening inside the historic building, calling it a prime example of Western commercialism invading Chinese culture.
However, the restaurant has become somewhat of a tourist attraction since it opened in 2015, welcoming visitors from all over the world.
EQRoy/Shutterstock
Named one of the “world’s coolest McDonald’s” according to a sign outside the restaurant, customers can enjoy everything from a classic Big Mac to Chicken McNuggets and McCafe beverages inside the plane.
Fotos593/Shutterstock
Visitors to this unique McDonald’s restaurant can also view the D3 plane’s cockpit.
Tim McRae/Getty Images
The building was originally the United Kingdom Hotel and was designed by architect James Hastie Wardrop.
Constructed between 1937 and 1938, this restaurant has been called one of the most beautiful McDonald’s buildings in the world.
PRNewsfoto/Getty Images
Filled with music and pop-culture memorabilia, the restaurant spanned two floors and was a replica of Ray Kroc’s first McDonald’s.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
After the restaurant was partially demolished and modernized, the memorabilia once housed in the restaurant went into the franchise owner’s personal collection, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Joseph M. Arseneau/Shutterstock
Known for its giant marquee featuring thousands of light bulbs, the restaurant — perhaps surprisingly — closed in 2020 not as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but rather as part of McDonald’s regular review of its restaurant portfolio, according to a spokesperson.
Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock
The restaurant, which was built in May 1993, is located in one of Arizona’s most beautiful cities; it’s known for its awe-inspiring red-rock mountains, canyon walls, and pine forests.
FiledIMAGE/Shutterstock
While the bright-yellow color of a majority of McDonald’s signs might work in other parts of the country, the turquoise color chosen by the Sedona, Arizona, location blends much better with the surrounding landscape.
Sedona also has strict restrictions on how tall buildings and signage can be, which is why the famous arches are placed lower than at most other McDonald’s restaurants.
K I Photography/Shutterstock
On top of the large McDonald’s restaurant, which also had a play place, was a statue of a NASA astronaut holding a container of fries.
Amanda H./Yelp
Ronald McDonald and the rest of the “McDonaldland” characters lined the walls wearing space suits and posing against a starry background.
(Gerald) LEE SNIDER/Getty Images
Moored slightly south of the Gateway Arch on the Mississippi River, this McDonald’s was the very first McDonald’s to be opened on a riverboat.
It was open for 20 years before closing in 2000.
Gabe Souza/Portland Press Herald/Getty Images
Some McDonald’s locations attempt to blend in with the local buildings and are designed more sympathetically.
This McDonald’s location, however, was actually built inside a preexisting, 150-year-old colonial mansion. Located in Freeport, a small seaside town in Maine, the building was converted into the town’s only McDonald’s in 1984.
Oleg Anisimov/Shutterstock
The restaurant can be found on Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, France. Though the building is now a McDonald’s, it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nagel Photography/Shutterstock
Inspired by the extraterrestrial history of Roswell, the interior of the spaceship holds a play place, which is also space-themed.
Janus Orlov/Shutterstock
Though you might think patrons can stroll up the steps to enter one of the most unique McDonald’s buildings in the world, customers actually enter from a side entrance.
casadaphoto/Shutterstock
The building almost resembles the White House.
However, past its columns and grand facade, customers can still enjoy McDonald’s favorites like the Big Mac or Brazilian menu items like the McCrispy Chicken Legend and the Cheddar McMelt.
SMAJC/Shutterstock
The giant bronze eagle was designed by Portuguese sculptor Henrique Moreira and is usually the first thing customers notice when they approach the restaurant.
saiko3p/Shutterstock
According to a previous article by Business Insider, the colorful window is original to the coffee shop that previously occupied the space, and it features beautiful coffee-related scenes.
The restaurant has been called the world’s most beautiful McDonald’s.
Michael P./Yelp
It was designed in accordance with building requirements from the city where the median household annual income is more than $100,000, according to census data.
Michael P./Yelp
“The building is unique to any I have ever seen and it is a joy to take a break and walk to the second floor and enjoy the view while I enjoy breakfast or lunch,” wrote one TripAdvisor user.
Bill C./Yelp
The “train station” opened in 1975, and is also occupied by a Starbucks and a Popeyes.
Andrew G./Yelp
Despite having a unique theme, the restaurant still serves up McDonald’s favorites.
Mike C./Yelp
The building was originally an 18th-century farmhouse that was converted into a Georgian-style mansion in the 1860s.
Paul D./Yelp
However, according to Atlas Obscura, the fast-food giant faced pressure from preservationists to restore the home to its former grandeur.
The town then allowed the chain to build onto the existing building to create space for a drive-thru.
AP PHOTO/NOEMI BRUZAK
According to Mic, the station was built in 1877 by the Eiffel Company, which also built the Eiffel Tower. As well as being home to a McDonald’s, the train station is still fully operational.
Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock
Located in downtown Batumi, this McDonald’s stands out for its reflective glass exterior. Patrons eating inside the restaurant can also gaze out onto the pool of water and manicured grass surrounding the building.
Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock
Built in 2013, this location also won the award for The Best Commercial Building of 2014 by the architecture website ArchDaily.
Marynka Mandarinka/Shutterstock
This makes for a great photo-op or simply a beautiful sight while patrons eat their meals.
Nelson M./Yelp
Resembling a ski lodge, the restaurant fits in perfectly in the mountain town. However, inside is grander than perhaps any outside viewer could expect.
Jackie S./Yelp
The interior is also decorated with wallpaper, pieces of art, and hanging chandeliers.