When it comes to branding, you can't get much more recognizable than McDonald's golden arches.
But there exists in the world one place where McDonald's arches are a different hue.
Need even more reason to love this anomaly?
They're painted in the most fabulous of shades: turquoise.
If you want to visit this mysterious turquoise-arched McDonald's, it might require a road trip.
Those who live in the west won't have too far to go, though.
Among the red rocks and big blue skies of Sedona, Arizona, you'll find one of the few
McDonald's in the world with non-yellow arches.
This novelty location has become a major tourist attraction, as people from all over the world
travel to the state to snap a picture with Sedona's one-of-a-kind Mickey D's logo.
Ironically, that attention is antithetical to why the arches are a unique color in the
first place.
In a 2014 interview with Fox News, Nicholas Gioello, development services manager for
Sedona's Community Development Department, explained that the decision was driven by
local officials' desire to avoid anything that might detract from the city's natural
beauty.
When McDonald's came to the area in 1993, it was only a few years after Sedona had been
incorporated as a city.
So officials were still deciding what sort of restrictions they wanted to impose on the
aesthetics of exterior building and signage.
Gioello told Fox,
"We want everything to blend into the natural surroundings, which includes mostly earth
tones.
The view is really why people come to Sedona."
So how did the color turquoise come into play?
Taking a proactive approach, local franchise owner Greg Cook reached out directly to the
Community Development Department to determine an appropriate and aesthetically-pleasing
arch color.
The conversation reportedly started with a suggestion from the community development
director in the mid '90s: try to blend in with the teal and red signage of the shopping
center adjacent to where the new McDonald's would be situated.
So, after putting their heads together, Cook and the Community Development Department came
up with the idea of turquoise.
Little could they have anticipated back then that such a seemingly subtle distinction would
eventually cause such a big stir.
Thanks to the ubiquity of social media, the turquoise arches became an internet sensation
somewhere along the way.
In fact, a cursory scan of the Sedona McDonald's tag on Instagram reveals that the location
has become a pilgrimage point for everyone from young millennial tourists to international
travelers.
Arguably, this influx of visitors is more disruptive to the scenic city than a set of
yellow arches would've been.
You won't hear Gioello complaining, though, since the tourism these turquoise arches inspire
means more business for the community.
If you're a keen and devoted McDonald's patron, you might notice that the arch color isn't
the only thing amiss about the Sedona restaurant.
Because unlike other McDonald's where the arches sit atop a pole that towers over the
eatery, this location's arches are lower on the front of the building and on a sign near
the road.
As you might've surmised, the Community Development Department also had a hand in this decision,
as height restrictions in Sedona allegedly prohibited taller arches.
Still, thanks to their cool color, the arches of this particular McDonald's are a sight
to see.
Just don't go rushing out the door for a weekend getaway with the wrong mindset.
You should know that there isn't necessarily anything inside of Sedona's restaurant that
makes it special.
When you visit, you're going to get the same greasy, but oh-so-glorious, burgers and fries.
Then again, when all is said and done, you'll walk away with a hashtag-ready snapshot in
front of the only turquoise McDonald's arches anywhere.
Even if McNuggets aren't involved, the Instagram post alone is worth the visit.
"That beautiful building flanked by those arches."
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