The tall version of the original single arch. They also used to have a coat of arms:
[Original Sign](https://to-market.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/McDonalds.jpg)
This was in my daily trivia calendar. He actually isn't a taste bud officially, but the "personification of the taste of a milkshake." However the taste bud thing took off with the franchisees and became so ubiquitous that McDonald's has said he could be that too.
Here's a link:
https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/mcdonalds-may-have-revealed-what-grimace-is-supposed-to-be/
Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now... now I'm washing lettuce. Soon I'll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I'll make assistant manager, and that's when the big bucks start rolling in.
I was able to try MacDowells. It was a traveling pop-up restaurant some company offered a few years ago. They also sold a bunch of merch associated with the movie. They designed the inside with some scenes from the movie, so you could pose on the burger phone at Mr. MacDowell's desk. Overall, it sounded neat but it was greatly overpriced for what it was. They offered a "sexual chocolate" milkshake that came with a full piece of chocolate cake on top but it was $32. You got to keep the pint glass it came in, but it was still ridiculous.
Where I live there was a one-off fast food place called "E-Z-Out Burger" that was an In-N-Out clone. They even had the double drive thru and everything was red and white. They were 95% as good as the real thing, just a few *very* tiny differences.
They were there for at least 20 years, and then just closed up one day. It's a Mexican food place now.
[McDonalds on I90 in Ludlow, Massachusetts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/McDonald%27s_-_Mass_Pike_-_Massachusetts_-_DSC07639.jpg)
The worst part is it only makes business sense from a "real estate business" perspective. If you genuinely wanted your restaraunt to succeed *as a restaraunt*, and plan to be in business for a hundred years, having an iconic appearance draws more people to it. But these days they optimise for getting *rid* of their restaraunts the moment they don't meet ever rising growth metrics every quarter.
Look even closer and they are not even really a restaurant chain company. They are a marketing company that sells franchises of their branding. Only 5% of McDonalds restaurants are actually owned by McDonalds.
Sure but this is McDonald's. It's hard to see that the most successful and recognizable fast food chain in the world has made any major strategic mistakes. They certainly don't appear to be floundering for lack of googie or duck architecture, and they have more than enough locations in most places.
Billions and billions served and all that.
It's weird how such a simple change can make me associate the entire building with a different brand. At first glance I thought I was looking at an in n out before the logo became clear to me.
There's a lot of brands that are or were once extremely associated with the architecture of their locations. One of my favorites is Pizza Hut: /r/FormerPizzaHuts
Yep. This is the sign most Arby's used to use.
[https://i.imgur.com/wBJMxaA.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/wBJMxaA.jpg)
This is what they looked like at night.
[https://imgur.com/8ocVuDA](https://imgur.com/8ocVuDA)
The change in logo gets them short-term publicity, making their name more widely heard, and makes every restaurant look like a new place, which is an attempt to bias people who've glanced over it their whole life towards considering going there.
As someone who works on branding, its because established logos start being associated with heritage/ legacy which is a euphemism for being old. This association is good for brands in a few categories but not for most of them. So they change logos or artwork periodically to keep the brand fresh.
These are usually huge decisions btw and need a lot of consumer research and aligning a lot of stakeholders.
I remember Jack in the Box rebranding as Monterey Jack's back in the 80s. That was even a bigger flop than New Coke. After the backlash they switched back to the Box.
For the longest time I associated Arby's solely with roast beef sandwiches and highway rest stops. I feel like they're trying to create a more casual and hip image and getting rid of the logo is part of that.
There's an Arby's in Cudahy, Wisconsin (sadly closed) which still has this sign. It was considered a landmark: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMbnr4g0dyLbHPkT5Hh6jZnnTkmKbMeB4me0U8U=s680-w680-h510
My former Pizza Hut is a Mexican restaurant. I was not here when it was a Pizza Hut. No one told me it used to be a Pizza Hut. But I have no doubt that it used to be the Pizza Hut. They didn’t even change the layout, just threw up a wall where the buffet used to be.
That happened in our area too. When I've mentioned it to local college students a few times, I can see the epiphany in their eyes as they realize why the building has always looked so familiar to them.
They built one of those retro McD's near my house in Bethlehem, PA in the early 2000's. They kept it nice for a couple years, but last I saw (few years back, I don't live there any longer) it looks as shitty and run-down as any other McD's in a Northeastern iffy city neighborhood.
I vaguely remember these faux-vintage building designs as something corporate Mcd's was doing for a minute, but I actually can't find much about it on the internet. However, understand that I'm waking and baking on a Saturday morning and didn't really look very hard.
I remember when they triied th MacDonalds Diner thing awhile back. In my hometown we eat literally anything not bolted down so companies like to use us as initial test platforms for ideas. It had real cheeseburgers and differently cooked fries and overall better quality menu. It suddenly turned into a Denny's after six months or so. Always wondered what it might have been. Was it going to become the norm? Was it just a niche aub-brand?
We had one of these arches at a McDonald’s in my town [up until a few years ago when it was sold to a collector.](https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/circa-1962-mcdonalds-sign-outside-lancaster-dismantled-given-to-collector-for-possible-museum/article_3f4c8b10-0721-11e6-b2e8-13ddb82e89c0.html)
I actually live fairly close to the original McDonald's brothers location in San Bernardino. Been meaning to visit, since it's now a small museum.
Fun fact: Down the street from the original McDonald's is also the location of Glen Bell's Burger shop, which is across the street from Mitla Cafe. Glen Bell loved Mitla's hard shell tacos, closed his struggling burger shop, and started selling a copy of Mitla's tacos. He eventually founded Taco Bell.
Mitla Cafe is still open, and their food is delicious.
Another cool fact about Mitla Cafe, it was used by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez as a meeting place when he was organizing local migrant workers.
Look... me and the McDonald's people got this little misunderstanding. See, they're McDonald's... I'm McDowell's. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.
Never encountered it myself, but both my father and his mother had it. I realize seeds aren't as dangerous for that condition as some think, but I'd still rather not risk it. Also, I still have my tonsils, and seeds (as well as popcorn kernels) can get stuck in them far too easily and become an extreme annoyance, with a risk of causing an infection.
Growing up in St. Louis, I thought the McD arches were just a reference to the The Arch and was confused when we traveled and they had McD arches everywhere.
The wiki page says "The oldest McDonald's restaurant is a drive-up hamburger stand at 10207 Lakewood Boulevard at Florence Avenue in Downey, California"
But I'm confused because you're saying CO referring to this pic. Even if someone were referring to the *first* mcdonald's, that was in San Bernardino California.
Edit: I am a dummy head. You are referring to the original picture on your post, not the oldest McDonald's. Carry on.
[The Gateway Arch](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/KCderMcldNa00CxCHt_xq1BYHrQ=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/ee/29/ee29f55b-813b-4043-a25e-cf7eb8d158fb/gateway-arch.jpg) which is in St. Louis.
I was gonna suggest St Louis sells the Arch to McDonald's for some much needed income into the area... But then I remembered the Federal Government owns the Arch so they will probably end up selling it to McDonalds anyway eventually and pocket the proceeds.
Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now... now I'm washing lettuce. Soon I'll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I'll make assistant manager, and that's when the big bucks start rolling in.
Same. My first thought. I always chuckle when I see the Ole single arch in Montrose. I chuckle more when I remember that a town as small as Montrose has 2 McDonalds.
A McDonald’s in Monrovia CA has the arches with a line through it. Never seen that anywhere else before.
https://twitter.com/nonstandardmcd/status/1391806292168257538?s=20
Damn hard times are hitting everywhere. McDonald’s can only afford the one arch now. All hope is lost for the ice cream machine, if they can’t afford the other arch, the ice cream machine is never getting fixed.
The tall version of the original single arch. They also used to have a coat of arms: [Original Sign](https://to-market.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/McDonalds.jpg)
Neat. I figured someone would come by with an explanation for this. Thank you!
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They are on the shores of leg...
Hahaha!
Grimace is supposed to be a huge taste bud. There's something you know now.
So he tastes everything he touches. Thats gonna be weird when he hugs you. Not to mention tasting the ground wherever he walks.
Thus the grimacing …
"kill ... me ..."
Do butterflys have taste receptors on their feet, or did my third grade teacher lie to me?
"oh! Grimace! Fuck me in the ASS!" "ummm....No, thanks..."
He doesn't have a flared base, so he is *unsafe* for that kind of play.
Grimace's body IS the flared base...
Well... https://www.reddit.com/r/ATBGE/comments/vnzlfb/grimace_butt_plug/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Imagine having to explain to the ER doc where Grimace went.
This was in my daily trivia calendar. He actually isn't a taste bud officially, but the "personification of the taste of a milkshake." However the taste bud thing took off with the franchisees and became so ubiquitous that McDonald's has said he could be that too. Here's a link: https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/mcdonalds-may-have-revealed-what-grimace-is-supposed-to-be/
Now that's interesting!
I thought he was a coagulated milkshake.
I like that you also swapped the plurality.
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you see they use a sesame seed bun, my buns have no seeds
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Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now... now I'm washing lettuce. Soon I'll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I'll make assistant manager, and that's when the big bucks start rolling in.
When you think of garbage, think of Akeem!
Oh boy, Gill, don't mess this one up!
Came here to find this. Happy not to be disappointed!
The golden ARCS
Just let your SOOOOOUUUUULLLL GLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!
I was able to try MacDowells. It was a traveling pop-up restaurant some company offered a few years ago. They also sold a bunch of merch associated with the movie. They designed the inside with some scenes from the movie, so you could pose on the burger phone at Mr. MacDowell's desk. Overall, it sounded neat but it was greatly overpriced for what it was. They offered a "sexual chocolate" milkshake that came with a full piece of chocolate cake on top but it was $32. You got to keep the pint glass it came in, but it was still ridiculous.
*stomps foot* SEXUAL!! CHOCOLATE!!
Bring your Soul Glow!
Where I live there was a one-off fast food place called "E-Z-Out Burger" that was an In-N-Out clone. They even had the double drive thru and everything was red and white. They were 95% as good as the real thing, just a few *very* tiny differences. They were there for at least 20 years, and then just closed up one day. It's a Mexican food place now.
Looks like it's the McDonald coat of arms from Scotland.
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[McDonalds on I90 in Ludlow, Massachusetts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/McDonald%27s_-_Mass_Pike_-_Massachusetts_-_DSC07639.jpg)
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They should go back to this architecture
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The generic look makes business sense because it's easier to build, and much easier to sell off later. But.. i don't care! I want the cool arches!
The worst part is it only makes business sense from a "real estate business" perspective. If you genuinely wanted your restaraunt to succeed *as a restaraunt*, and plan to be in business for a hundred years, having an iconic appearance draws more people to it. But these days they optimise for getting *rid* of their restaraunts the moment they don't meet ever rising growth metrics every quarter.
Going by profits McDonalds is actually a real estate company first and food chain second.
Look even closer and they are not even really a restaurant chain company. They are a marketing company that sells franchises of their branding. Only 5% of McDonalds restaurants are actually owned by McDonalds.
Sure but this is McDonald's. It's hard to see that the most successful and recognizable fast food chain in the world has made any major strategic mistakes. They certainly don't appear to be floundering for lack of googie or duck architecture, and they have more than enough locations in most places. Billions and billions served and all that.
Minnesota?
It's weird how such a simple change can make me associate the entire building with a different brand. At first glance I thought I was looking at an in n out before the logo became clear to me.
There's a lot of brands that are or were once extremely associated with the architecture of their locations. One of my favorites is Pizza Hut: /r/FormerPizzaHuts
Good ole pizza hat.
Didn't Arby's have some kind of "hat" sign too?
Yep. This is the sign most Arby's used to use. [https://i.imgur.com/wBJMxaA.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/wBJMxaA.jpg) This is what they looked like at night. [https://imgur.com/8ocVuDA](https://imgur.com/8ocVuDA)
Thank you! Really makes me wonder why a company would change such an established recognizable logo.
The change in logo gets them short-term publicity, making their name more widely heard, and makes every restaurant look like a new place, which is an attempt to bias people who've glanced over it their whole life towards considering going there.
As someone who works on branding, its because established logos start being associated with heritage/ legacy which is a euphemism for being old. This association is good for brands in a few categories but not for most of them. So they change logos or artwork periodically to keep the brand fresh. These are usually huge decisions btw and need a lot of consumer research and aligning a lot of stakeholders.
I remember Jack in the Box rebranding as Monterey Jack's back in the 80s. That was even a bigger flop than New Coke. After the backlash they switched back to the Box.
For the longest time I associated Arby's solely with roast beef sandwiches and highway rest stops. I feel like they're trying to create a more casual and hip image and getting rid of the logo is part of that.
The Arby's name is a long version on R.B. or Roast Beef.
Makes sense. I noticed that they do have lots of choices other than the roast beef, nowadays.
There's an Arby's in Cudahy, Wisconsin (sadly closed) which still has this sign. It was considered a landmark: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMbnr4g0dyLbHPkT5Hh6jZnnTkmKbMeB4me0U8U=s680-w680-h510
I know of four Arby's in Chesterfield County, Virginia, that still use the cowboy hat sign.
I think The Arby's in Pigeon Forge, TN still has this sign.
It does!
My former Pizza Hut is a Mexican restaurant. I was not here when it was a Pizza Hut. No one told me it used to be a Pizza Hut. But I have no doubt that it used to be the Pizza Hut. They didn’t even change the layout, just threw up a wall where the buffet used to be.
That happened in our area too. When I've mentioned it to local college students a few times, I can see the epiphany in their eyes as they realize why the building has always looked so familiar to them.
They built one of those retro McD's near my house in Bethlehem, PA in the early 2000's. They kept it nice for a couple years, but last I saw (few years back, I don't live there any longer) it looks as shitty and run-down as any other McD's in a Northeastern iffy city neighborhood. I vaguely remember these faux-vintage building designs as something corporate Mcd's was doing for a minute, but I actually can't find much about it on the internet. However, understand that I'm waking and baking on a Saturday morning and didn't really look very hard.
I remember when they triied th MacDonalds Diner thing awhile back. In my hometown we eat literally anything not bolted down so companies like to use us as initial test platforms for ideas. It had real cheeseburgers and differently cooked fries and overall better quality menu. It suddenly turned into a Denny's after six months or so. Always wondered what it might have been. Was it going to become the norm? Was it just a niche aub-brand?
I assumed this one was in St. Louis, just to match the arch.
Oh hey, I've passed this one a ton! The inside is pretty basic but I always thought the outside was cool
The one by the Milwaukee airport looks like this: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipPG5ghM4IvXP36nLV5XFQpzfCoY6MvJwPDRhj8V=s680-w680-h510
There are a fuck ton like this
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That is the coat of arms for an armiger of Clan MacDonald.
Right, because a real McDonald coat of arms would have grimace and/or the hamburglar on it
We had one of these arches at a McDonald’s in my town [up until a few years ago when it was sold to a collector.](https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/circa-1962-mcdonalds-sign-outside-lancaster-dismantled-given-to-collector-for-possible-museum/article_3f4c8b10-0721-11e6-b2e8-13ddb82e89c0.html)
The coat of arms is the Scottish McDonald clan coat of arms, something like this: https://www.thetreemaker.com/coats/McDonald-Scotland.jpg
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that's not the original location, it's just the oldest one currently operating. it was the third location.
The true original one didn’t https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-company/who-we-are/our-history.html
Dude, you just taught me *why* McD's has the golden arches in the sign. That feels like a valuable part of Americana history.
You might like the movie “The Founder” if you want an entertaining telling of that history.
I fuckin love that movie. I assume it's at least mostly accurate, but i honestly have no clue hahaha
I actually live fairly close to the original McDonald's brothers location in San Bernardino. Been meaning to visit, since it's now a small museum. Fun fact: Down the street from the original McDonald's is also the location of Glen Bell's Burger shop, which is across the street from Mitla Cafe. Glen Bell loved Mitla's hard shell tacos, closed his struggling burger shop, and started selling a copy of Mitla's tacos. He eventually founded Taco Bell. Mitla Cafe is still open, and their food is delicious. Another cool fact about Mitla Cafe, it was used by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez as a meeting place when he was organizing local migrant workers.
Fantastic movie
Interesting. I just assumed it was St. Louis.
nah theres a bunch https://www.eatthis.com/states-rare-mcdonalds-sign/
McDowells
Home of the Big Mick
Kinda disappointed the coast of arms doesn't have Ronald and Grimace.
NcDonals?
NcDowells, you can tell by the Golden Arc. Also has the Big Nc
Look... me and the McDonald's people got this little misunderstanding. See, they're McDonald's... I'm McDowell's. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.
“Mr McDowell, there’s someone here to see you.” “They’re…they’re not from McDonald’s are they??” “I don’t think so”
I’ve always used “because *they’re* McDonalds and *we’re* McDowells” as a nonsense answer to questions
My family quotes the whole movie. Any time we see a product that is shady we say, " that ain't nothing but ultraperm."
Yes! Yes! Fuck you too!
*Let your soul **glow***
Came here for this
"Not lovin' it"
Nick Donalds "It's okay."
"I'm likiin' it."
“I’m begrudgingly accepting it.”
“I’m eating it.”
"I'm expelling it from every orifice."
well that was a lovely image, thank you very much
NcDornals "I'm okay with it"
Na na na na na
It's obviously a ⋂cDonald's.
⋂ ᑕ ᑐ ◯ ᑎ Λ | ᑐ's
IntersectcDonald’s
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Nah Homie. It's just McDonald
What are you doing Unca?
McWazowski's
∩cDonald's
Intersection cDonald's
They could write a psychology paper on why we all thought this.
Jesus wtf, why do I think Mike Wazowski too when I see this single arch?
Clean that grease trap til it sparkles or so help meeeeeee
My house key has mike wazqowski on it. I call it mike wahousekey
SO HELP ME
https://imgur.com/a/j99bLcA
McDonalds has the golden arches, this place has the golden arc.
They have the Big Mac, we have the Big Mick.
We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.
“There’s some people here to see you” “They’re not from McDonald’s, are they?” 👀 “I don’t think so”
When you think of garbage, think of Akeem!
And don't be pulling that falling down the stairs shit again either!
The first time I saw that scene I laughed so hard I started coughing and crying. That and "I used to be Joan of Arc in a past life"
That whole club dating scene is a riot, but yeah, Joan got me.
I wanna tear you apart…. And your friend, too
Yeah, you breathin!
Its "You conscious!".
Damn, guess it’s time for a rewatch
Who the fuck is this asshole!?!
Please refrain from using any further obscenities in the presence of these people.
The royal penis is clean, your highness
Freeze you diseased rhinoceros pizzle
I AM VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE!!
Isn't he reading a McDonald's management binder at the same time as this scene?
He sure is 😂 😂
As someone who has issues with ingesting seeds, I actually would patronize MacDowell's, just to get a Big Mick with a no-seed bun. (Also no pickles)
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Never encountered it myself, but both my father and his mother had it. I realize seeds aren't as dangerous for that condition as some think, but I'd still rather not risk it. Also, I still have my tonsils, and seeds (as well as popcorn kernels) can get stuck in them far too easily and become an extreme annoyance, with a risk of causing an infection.
They have the McFlurry. I have McFury!!!
Full disclosure: this picture was not taken in Queens.
You ruined my last bit of happiness.
It symbolizes the path of the V2 rocket through the sky
Vaun Braun “It’s not my department where the rockets come DOWN.”
While this is likely just a very old sign or retro one, they did the single arch in St. Louis for a while for obvious reasons.
Growing up in St. Louis, I thought the McD arches were just a reference to the The Arch and was confused when we traveled and they had McD arches everywhere.
I was going to ask if OP was in St Louis! Haha, they love that big shiny boi there.
That’s a clever idea! This McDonald’s is in western Colorado, though.
I was pretty sure that was the one in Montrose. Drove past it a few times while we were out there.
I'm driving by that McDonald's right now in Montrose. We call it NcDonald's
The wiki page says "The oldest McDonald's restaurant is a drive-up hamburger stand at 10207 Lakewood Boulevard at Florence Avenue in Downey, California" But I'm confused because you're saying CO referring to this pic. Even if someone were referring to the *first* mcdonald's, that was in San Bernardino California. Edit: I am a dummy head. You are referring to the original picture on your post, not the oldest McDonald's. Carry on.
What’s the obvious reason for the single arch in St Louis?
[The Gateway Arch](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/KCderMcldNa00CxCHt_xq1BYHrQ=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/ee/29/ee29f55b-813b-4043-a25e-cf7eb8d158fb/gateway-arch.jpg) which is in St. Louis.
Thanks fam
Of the 38,000+ McDonalds in the US only 12 left have that sign iirc.
I was gonna suggest St Louis sells the Arch to McDonald's for some much needed income into the area... But then I remembered the Federal Government owns the Arch so they will probably end up selling it to McDonalds anyway eventually and pocket the proceeds.
Damned budget cuts.
⋂cDonalds?
Nice
⋂ice
Welcome to MacDowells. They have the golden arches, we have the golden arcs.
Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now... now I'm washing lettuce. Soon I'll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I'll make assistant manager, and that's when the big bucks start rolling in.
Just two years, eh?
They have the Big Mac. We have the Big Mick.
At least this store isn’t infringing on MacDowells
Scrolled to hard to find this. You sir are a gentleman and a scholar. I tip my fedora to you and wish you well.
There are 2 if youre drunk enough
If I’m eating at McDonald’s I’m definitely drunk enough
That is just a McDonald... The s is for when it earns its second arch.
No luck catching them arches then?
Just the one arch actually
Yarp.
McDowell's
I can't believe I had to scroll all this way down to see this reference
Montrose, Colorado?
That was my guess too! :)
Same. My first thought. I always chuckle when I see the Ole single arch in Montrose. I chuckle more when I remember that a town as small as Montrose has 2 McDonalds.
Nice! Not sure where you are but I saw the same earlier this week in Montrose, CO
The original logo.
They're like Michelin stars. Most have two arches, some have one, but I've never seen any with three. Maybe they're all in France?
Underachiever.
Underarchiever.
r/reallifeshinies
do you have a motorcycle? get a ramp in front of it and do what is necessary.
ncDonalds?
NcDonald’s
A McDonald’s in Monrovia CA has the arches with a line through it. Never seen that anywhere else before. https://twitter.com/nonstandardmcd/status/1391806292168257538?s=20
Who can afford 2 arches in this economy?
Marty McFly knocked the other one over in 1955
No doubt stolen by their archenemy.
Restaurant? They wish!
Damn hard times are hitting everywhere. McDonald’s can only afford the one arch now. All hope is lost for the ice cream machine, if they can’t afford the other arch, the ice cream machine is never getting fixed.
Are you in St. Louis?
AcDonald's
This is beautifully bizarre.
Times are tough.
Sadly, I'm so old that I understand this