The Real Reason Behind The World’s Only McDonald’s With Blue Arches

By maks in Interesting On 26th October 2024
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The golden arches are instantly recognizable for anyone who spots them in the over 100 countries where they exist.

When you see that bright yellow letter against the bold red background, you know exactly what’s on offer—it's a familiar and reliable spot for good food.

But, surprisingly, some franchises among the 41,000 locations worldwide don’t stick to the traditional colors. For various reasons, they deviate from the famous design everyone knows so well.

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McDonald's shares that around 93 percent of its restaurants globally are run by independent local business owners.

So why would anyone choose to move away from the iconic colors that have become a global symbol?

We’ll get to that in a bit, but first, let’s talk about the only McDonald’s in the world that has blue arches—well, technically, they are turquoise.

The McDonald's restaurant in Sedona, Arizona, is the only place in the world where you can find its 'blue arches' Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images
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Where is the only McDonald's with blue arches?

In Sedona, Arizona, you’ll find the famous 'blue arches'—although it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?

This McDonald’s is the only one on the planet with this unique color scheme, but aside from the exterior, everything inside is just like any other McDonald's you’d visit.

There’s no special menu, no impressive architectural features, or fancy design elements—it’s just your usual McDonald's, plain and simple.

The Sedona, Arizona McDonald's is certainly unique Reddit/BBBlaze999

So, why is it blue?

Why does the McDonald's in Sedona, Arizona have blue arches?

It was built back in 1993, and the city officials were concerned that the golden arches would clash with Sedona's beautiful red rock scenery.

To get approval for the restaurant, the city required McDonald's to adjust its usual yellow logo to a teal shade that better fit the area’s natural landscape.

Talking about the decision to ABC 15, Cari Meyer, Senior Planner of the Department of Community Development for the City of Sedona, explained: "McDonald's was built in the early 1990s, right after the city was incorporated in 1989."

"Someone suggested it would be interesting if they did something else than golden arches to fit in with the identity that the city decided to establish."

Even though the blue makes it stand out, Sedona's McDonald's isn’t the only one to switch up its colors.

A McDonald's in Monterey, California, has black arches Getty/Sebastiaan Kroes
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McDonald's that don't have golden arches

In Monterey, California, you’ll find a McDonald’s with black arches, again following the same kind of rules as the one in Arizona.

Meanwhile, the branch in Rocklin, California, features red arches instead of the classic yellow.

Over in Europe, there are more unique McDonald's locations. In Paris, France, and Bruges, Belgium, you can spot white arches on the exterior of two of their branches.

A McDonald's in Paris has white arches Pierre Suu/Getty Images

The one in the 'city of love' is situated on the glamorous Avenue des Champs-Élysées, a street known for high-end stores like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Chanel.

So, the fast-food location had to follow city regulations to blend in with the sophisticated Parisian architecture.