There is one McDonald’s in Arizona that’s unlike any others in the world.
The iconic American chain is famous for its golden arches, but a store in Sedona instead has a unique set of teal colored arches on its exterior.
The Sedona location, located off State Route 89A, isn’t the only McDonald’s in the world that deviates from the classic yellow symbol, but this one has a good reason.
The burger joint location was built in 1993 – just a few years after Sedona was incorporated into Arizona.
After the Department of Community Development settled into its role, it decided it was unhappy with the bright gold against Sedona’s muted natural red rock beauty.
‘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,’ senior planner for the department, Cari Meyer, told ABC 15 in 2022.
The Sedona Department of Community Development asked McDonald’s to change its golden arches to teal to avoid clashing with the area’s natural red rock beauty
The city government pushed McDonald’s to switch to teal to avoid clashing with Sedona’s background and the fast food chain agreed, making it the only store with this unique color.
‘It’s definitely unique,’ Meyer told the outlet. ‘When I first moved here, it’s what people brought up. “Oh, you are moving to Sedona? They have turquoise arches!”‘
The different colored logo has become quite the tourist attraction since the change, with many visitors stopping to take pictures as they pass through Sedona.
The store even plays into its special quality by having the drink cups and burger boxes matches the teal color.
However, the differences end there. Once you enter the establishment, the interior and food choices are the same as any ole Mickey D’s.
The different colored logo has become quite the tourist attraction since the change, with many tourists stopping to take pictures of it as they pass through Sedona
Only a few other McDonald’s locations have non-traditional colored arches.
Two are in California, including one on Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin, which has red arches, and one in Monterrey, which has black arches.
There is also a store on the Champs-Élysées in Paris with neon white arches.
