You won’t find Golden Arches at this McDonald’s

by Addy Bink and Nexstar Media Wire - 09/05/22 11:00 AM ET

(NEXSTAR) – When you think of McDonald’s, one of the first things that come to mind is likely the Golden Arches. They are the iconic attribute of the fast food brand. The Golden Arches won’t guide you to a Big Mac and fries at one McDonald’s, though.

Nearly 70 years ago, arches were added to the restaurant’s new “Red and White” buildings to help the roof line feel less flat. The first location to have the “Golden Arches” was Downey, California, in 1953. It looks the same today.

A view of the oldest McDonald’s still in operation. It’s located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Downey, California, which is listed as a historic site. The restaurant opened on August 18, 1953 and was the third McDonald’s restaurant to open worldwide. (Getty Images)

According to McDonald’s, a sign maker used yellow neon into the arches, ultimately creating the “Golden Arches.” It wasn’t until roughly a decade later that the Golden Arches became the restaurant’s logo.

While the buildings have changed since the Downey location was built, the Golden Arches have remained a staple to help you identify a McDonald’s near you.

Except at one location.

The McDonald’s located on Highway 89A in Sedona, Arizona, can be found sporting teal arches. Sedona, roughly 115-mile drive north of Phoenix, is surrounded by the red rock formations common to the southwestern portion of the country.

Many of the buildings in the town, including this specific McDonald’s restaurant and its neighbors, are a nearly identical shade of red. This helps to not distract from the scenic vistas of the area.

Officials were concerned that the restaurant’s iconic Golden Arches may cause a distraction when McDonald’s moved to town in the early 1990s.

That’s when they decided to swap the gold for teal, creating the one-of-a-kind Teal Arches that have become a tourist attraction, an Instagram hot spot, and one of the most unique McDonald’s locations in the U.S.

While the drink cups and burger containers also have blue marks, according to a local news outlet, everything else is the same.

There are other McDonald’s locations that don’t have the traditional arches. At two California locations —Rocklin and Monterey — the arches are red and black, respectively. Some locations, like the mansion McDonald’s in Freeport, Maine, don’t have arches at all.