McDonald’s Ditches Golden Arches For Turquoise Arches

The golden arches have been a universal symbol for McDonald’s since 1962. Now, more than 50 years later, McDonald’s was forced to open its very first branch without the symbolic recognizable arches. Instead, the branch has turquoise arches.

Officials from Sedona, Arizona told McDonald’s they can’t use their trademark yellow ‘M’ since the city has strict rules that prevent structures in the area from tarnishing the picturesque view of the surrounding desert. As a bargain, McDonald’s said that they wouldn’t use the golden arches and instead opted for a less striking color – turquoise, The New Zealand Herald reports.

According to Mirror UK, the building of the McDonald’s branch abides by the city’s strict color codes as well, and is made using only red and orange materials to blend with the desert’s colors.

McDonald’s Corporation is the largest fast-food chain in the world with 35,000 branches in 119 countries, and the Sedona branch is the first one without the golden arches. However, this is not the only unusual McDonald’s branch. There are several others around the world that are worth mentioning.

Taupo, New Zealand is the home of the only McDonald’s branch in the world that is set inside a decommissioned DC-3 airliner built in 1943 that was used from the 1960’s up until the 1980’s. The city’s mayor, Rick Cooper, bought the plane for about $20,000. Visitors can enjoy their McDonald’s meals while inside the plane.

Another unique McDonald’s branch can be found in California’s Barstow Station. With the area having a history with railroads, McDonald’s used and refurbished a few railcars to use as the setting for the restaurant.

There was also a McDonald’s branch that sits on top of a barge on the Mississippi River, but has since been closed. However, if you want to enjoy your Happy Meal on the Nile River, head on to Aswan, Egypt where the McDonald’s is situated by the water.

In 1998, McDonald’s opened a chain in Japan that they called Quarter Pounder as an experiment. The branch was painted red and black, and there were no golden arches or other signs associating the establishment with the famous food chain. Japan originally did not have the quarter pounder on their menu, and the branch was opened as a promotional stunt and sold only two items – the quarter pounder and the double quarter pounder. Despite the success of Quarter Pounder, the branch closed, but the quarter pounder was introduced at regular McDonald’s branches all over Tokyo.

[Images via Wikipedia / Business Insider / Girvin / Roosevelts]