The 'Coolest' McDonald's Is Built Inside An Airplane

From a McDonald's shaped like a UFO in New Mexico to a McDonald's housed in a former Norway bank, the restaurant chain has some pretty strange locations. While most of its 38,000 restaurants may be what you would expect, one location in particular aims for the sky. Perhaps one of the coolest McDonald's is housed in a renovated vintage plane. 

Located in Taupo, New Zealand, this McDonald's was built inside a Douglas DC-3, a plane dating back to 1943. The location also has a standard building typical of most McDonald's, but customers can eat their Big Macs in the comfort of the plane located on the property. Adorned with gray-and-yellow McDonald's branding, the plane's dining area is a short walk up a flight of boarding steps and features small tables with two chairs facing each other. The cockpit, complete with its vintage controls, is still viewable as well. This particular McDonald's location has been open since 1990, part of the chain's journey into aviation in the '90s.

Initially a passenger plane before becoming a crop duster, the airplane landed in Taupo in 1984, and following its decommissioning, it became the crowning attraction at a local car dealership. At the dawn of the '90s, McDonald's bought and renovated the location into its current restaurant. Rather than ditch the plane, its 20 seats have been used as a quirky addition to the main restaurant — although its opening hours are restricted to 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. compared to the 24-hour operation of the main building.

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Taupo's airplane is just one part of McDonald's apparent fascination with flying during the 1990s. In the early years of the decade, the company teamed up with United Airlines to serve Friendly Skies Meals on flights, a program that lasted until 2001. This was followed by the McPlane in 1996, which, you guessed it, was an airplane coated in bright red McDonald's paint. The McPlane carried passengers on flights across the Mediterranean, serving nuggets, burgers, and milkshakes. While the plane in New Zealand is sticking to the ground, it's without a doubt one of the coolest McDonald's.