Strange McDonald's Locations That Actually Exist

McDonald's has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a burger joint set up in 1948 by Maurice and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California (via Brittanica). 

In just over 72 years, it has turned into a household name across the world with more than 36,000 locations across the globe in more than 100 countries and territories (via McDonald's). As you might imagine, with so many branches, the number of burgers they've sold is gargantuan. The sign under the Golden Arches used to keep track of how many billions of burgers they'd served but the company stopped keeping track in the 1990s, with the number estimated at somewhere north of 300 billion. 

Most McDonald's locations are in areas that you would associate with fast-food restaurants — you can easily find McDonald's in shopping malls, in airports, and on the busy streets of major cities all over the earth. But they can also be found in slightly more unusual locales from the middle of an inhospitable desert, to the inside of a decommissioned plane, to an old bank in Norway. Take a deep dive into some of the oddest McDonald's locations in the world.

Some airlines may well serve burgers on board as part of their in-flight dining, but they likely don't hold a candle to the Big Mac you can enjoy at a McDonald's in Taupo, New Zealand, where the restaurant's seating area is located inside of a decommissioned plane. 

While there isn't any burger flipping going on in the cockpit, the plane is located on the grounds of what used to be a used car dealership. The dealership's owner bought the plane for the ambiance, and when McDonald's bought out the dealership, the old plane came along with it (via First We Feast). 

The plane in question is a DC-3 model, which had its heyday in the 1930s-1940s (via Smithsonian), and since being converted into a dining room, is able to seat some 20 customers. The seating capacity is slightly less than it could have fit when it was airborne, probably because of the tables which take up significantly more space than tray tables. This particular model was built in 1943 and was flown by New Zealand's South Pacific Airlines from 1961 until 1966, and it has been repainted to feature the restaurant's name on the side of the plane. 

If you're on vacation in Rome and you've just been to the Spanish Steps, one of the city's most popular tourist attractions which date back three centuries, you'll find yourself next to a McDonald's location which is often referred to as the "fanciest McDonald's in the world."

This location of the Golden Arches doesn't date back quite as far as the Spanish Steps, only back to 1986, when it became the first McDonald's to open its doors in Rome (via UPI). It was not received well, with Romans complaining about the "unbearable smell of fried food fouling the air" and the fact that the chain was contributing to the "degradation of Rome and the Americanization of Italian culture" (via The New York Times). However, protests waned and the location is well into its fourth decade of doing business. 

If you're trying to picture what it looks like, conjure up an image of a slightly more upscale Olive Garden. The tables are topped with marble and aesthetic features include fountains, statues, and mosaic walls. There are a range of upscale menu items including a salad bar, chicken cordon bleu sandwiches, and fresh pastries. And although the site is close to a tourist attraction which draws tens of thousands of visitors every day, you shouldn't have to worry about finding a table. The restaurant seats more around 450 diners.

The French haven't always taken kindly to McDonald's. In 1999, to protest tariffs placed on French foods and the import of hormone-treated beef intended for McDonald's burgers from the United States, a group of farmers destroyed a McDonalds which was being constructed in Millau, in the south of France. They tore down the structure and carted away building materials, spraying "McDo Go Home" on what remained of the construction site (via The Irish Times). However, the overall French attitude towards the Golden Arches appears to have changed. In 2014, France was McDonald's most profitable country outside of the United States, with sales the year before reaching a whopping $4.8 billion (via Business Insider).

In November of 2009, a branch of McDonalds opened in the underground approach to the Louvre Museum (via The Guardian). While it's not in the same room as the Mona Lisa, it was a little too close for some, and the resentment toward the American brand resurfaced. "I'm not against eating in a museum but McDonald's is hardly the height of gastronomy," said one Parisian. "Today [it's] McDonald's, tomorrow [it's] low-cost clothes shops." (via The New York Times).

If you've ever had a craving for fries while on the slopes, a McDonald's in Sweden has you covered. This McDonald's, which resembles a log cabin and has been open since 1996, gives its customers the opportunity to place and pick up an order through their ski-through window, which is the wintery, no car necessary version of a drive-through. Of course, there is the potentially problematic question of what to do with your brown McDonald's bag once you've picked up your order since you'll likely have both of your hands on your ski poles. 

The restaurant is located at the bottom of a ski hill in the resort town of Lindvallen, about 200 miles north of the capital of Stockholm (via Delish). Although everything on the menu is available for order through the ski-through, there's also a dine-in option with a seating area capable of fitting 140 hungry skiers and snowboarders (via Mental Floss). It's unclear if the restaurant still operates in the summer months when the resort's white powder slopes are nowhere to be found.

Freeport, Maine is home to legendary outdoor outfitter L.L. Bean's flagship store, as well as dozens of outlet malls (via Visit Freeport). The L.L. Bean location, which dates back to 1917, is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and boasts an indoor trout pond, an impressive collection of taxidermy, and a mini museum display with products that span the company's 100-year history (via New England Travel). And there's a 16.5-foot tall hiking boot available for photos outside the store's door. With a Nike Factory Store, an Old Navy, a Brooks Brothers, and plenty of other shops nearby as part of the outlet malls, it's a shopper's paradise.

But there are often crowds too, especially in the summer, and there's a McDonald's to keep you from getting hangry. The McDonald's in Freeport, Maine is inside the 19th-century house of a former ship captain. (via The Mirror). William Gore, a local merchant, built the house in 1850 and McDonald's turned it into their only location in Freeport over 100 years later in 1984 (via Business Insider). It has a cozy colonial feel and features a fireplace. And if you're looking for something that you can only order in New England and Quebec, try a McDonald's lobster roll, if you dare.

You'll be forgiven if you didn't know that Kristiansand, Norway is the country's fifth biggest city. It gets more sun than almost any other place in the country, has Baltic Sea beaches not far from the center of town, and even boasts an annual beach party that hosts 60,000 guests (via Visit Norway). 

It's also home to a McDonald's that is housed inside a former grandiose bank building with four massive marble columns marking the front entrance (via Smithsonian). Unfortunately, you have to enter through the side door as the main entrance is only for show. As with many international locations of the Golden Arches, this branch offers location-specific menu items, such as the McLaks, which is a grilled salmon sandwich lathered with dill sauce (via Method Shop). 

McDonald's first came to Norway in 1983, and quickly became a hit. Much of what they offer comes from domestic producers, with 75 percent of the ingredients estimated to be of Norwegian origin (via Visit Norway).