McDonald’s Mirage: Man Journeys World to Find Strangest Looking Franchise Locations, Is Yet to Realize What a Waste His Life Has Become (But the Fries Are Good)

We’ve all heard of them, usually through a friend-of-a-friend, who’s seen it with their real eyes. The first one we experienced was the Rock ‘n Roll McDonald’s in Chicago. It was, as promised, very bizarre with a rock ‘n roll theme that never actually made any sense. However, there are more of these gems, and 28-year-old Max Krieger has been documenting them on his Twitter account @nonstandardmcd.

"european" mcdonald's (date unknown)

orlando, fl

deceased (remodeled 2016 – 2018) pic.twitter.com/JzWIu8nnLX

— nonstandard mcdonald's (@nonstandardmcd) May 14, 2021

Krieger says documenting the mythical creatures of the fast-food world on Nonstandard McDonald’s started as a hobby. And like most great hobbies, he quickly acquired a following on Twitter. Since then, he’s amassed over 160,000 followers and the non-blessing of the gods at McDonald’s, as he explains, “I think if they were going to cease-and-desist me, they would’ve done it already.”

ridout tea garden mcdonald's (1990's)

queenstown, singapore

active

submission by @marklincadet pic.twitter.com/T2n8KuOqdD

— nonstandard mcdonald's (@nonstandardmcd) July 11, 2020

This is amazing since he also plans to go through and document a variety of the unusual McDonald’s in Florida for his untitled documentary on the phenomenon. For now, you can scroll through his Twitter account and find the Nonstandard McDonald’s you’ve never been to and may never see, including the UFO-shaped McDonald’s in the UK. However, a few of these amazing eyesores still exist in their glory, like the gothic cellar McDonald’s in Poland or the fry-and-shake nightmare that’s the crowning glory of McDonald’s Las Vegas.

the location closed at some time in the early 2000's and sat abandoned for several years until it was demolished in 2008. pic.twitter.com/872dn5zQl3

— nonstandard mcdonald's (@nonstandardmcd) July 22, 2021

Obviously, the account has a sort of universal appeal since nothing tugs at the heartstrings of millennials more than the nostalgia of their childhood. For years, McDonald’s has coasted by with mediocre food thanks to nostalgia. The same nostalgia that’s got Krieger voyaging through the recesses of the internet to dig up the wildest fast food restaurant designs any of us will ever see… and many never will.

pink mcdonald's (2021)

fontana, ca

active (pink color temporary – phos-check protection from ongoing wildfires)

video shot by @alexvnews, reposted with permission pic.twitter.com/vUCVdhsJQ0

— nonstandard mcdonald's (@nonstandardmcd) August 26, 2021

Cover Photo: @nonstandardmcd (Twitter)

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