The Rise and Fall of Fast Food Architecture

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What happened to McDonald's? Their restaurants used to be so iconic. It was impossible to mistake one, for say, a Wendy's. Distinguished architecture used to be an important part of a brand's identity. But today, fast food restaurant's all look the same. Bland grey boxes. The great convergence toward this standard has been called 'Chipotle-ification.' In this video, we trace the changing restaurant designs of McDonald's, from the iconic golden arch era to the soulless boxes of today. We break down the architecture and the forces at play in the great homogenization of fast food architecture.
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Architecture with Stewart is a RU-vid journey exploring architecture’s deep and enduring stories in all their bewildering glory. Weekly videos and occasional live events breakdown a wide range of topics related to the built environment in order to increase their general understanding and advocate their importance in shaping the world we inhabit.
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Stewart Hicks is an architectural design educator that leads studios and lecture courses as an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also serves as an Associate Dean in the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts and is the co-founder of the practice Design With Company. His work has earned awards such as the Architecture Record Design Vanguard Award or the Young Architect’s Forum Award and has been featured in exhibitions such as the Chicago Architecture Biennial and Design Miami, as well as at the V&A Museum and Tate Modern in London. His writings can be found in the co-authored book Misguided Tactics for Propriety Calibration, published with the Graham Foundation, as well as essays in MONU magazine, the AIA Journal Manifest, Log, bracket, and the guest-edited issue of MAS Context on the topic of character architecture.
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2 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 2,2 тыс.

@stewarthicks Год назад

@pt9973 Год назад

2:10 not the automobile as a reified invention, industry, science but the automobile industry. Wouldn’t you say more realistically? And thank you for the video, really reminded me of some of your most beloved from the beginning.

@SteveJobIess Год назад

Maybe because people dont want to eat in a building that looks like it was puked up by a clown.

@pt9973 Год назад

@@SteveJobIess who eats at McDonalds or anywhere at that? Clown puke is way more interesting that eating. GaL.

@sleepyancient6655 Год назад

I would love to see a few videos from you on Art Decko. There's just so much in that style and, if possible, I was wondering how it could come back in a more modern way. Just a way to bring back some warmth and visual interest in new commercial and industrial construction. Not expecting this, just wondering if you would consider it.

@EastTxCobb Год назад

One of my happy memories is the huge aquarium that used to be inside of my childhood McDonald’s RIP the 1990s😅

@J.Starkweather Год назад

McDonald's went from being a joyful child to a depressed adult

@dougfredricks2017 Год назад

L😄L

@JMS_Hunter Год назад

Just the same way we did

@mii-sanch.939 Год назад

@@JMS_Hunter 'Scuse you, I was miserable as a kid too!

@sharedknowledge6640 Год назад

Indeed. McDonald’s has had many identity crises including with their store designs. The movie The Founder highlights their eccentric early beginnings. Sadly they seemingly have not learned from their many mistakes.

@GenericYoutubeGuy 2 месяца назад

@@sharedknowledge6640not just that but with their food quality and menu as well. (And don’t forget Biden-Harris inflation)

@johnpark4650 Год назад

It just came to me that another big change of the McDonald's is the disappearance of playgrounds. I remember wanting to go there every week not for the fries but for going in and out of rainbow tubes and ball pools. It might not be just the color which made today's fast food restaurants "souless", but also the lack of energetic kids running round and its unique children-friendly charm coming out from it.

@Qwerty-jy9mj Год назад

Most of it were liability concerns, I think. When I was a kid I remember rating fast food restaurants for how cool their playground structures were, there was even a mall that occupied a big chunk of their food court seating area with a huge playground. That was meant to be the attraction, not the store selection or the food, but the playground.

@xenn4985 Год назад

@@Qwerty-jy9mj Someone oughta run the numbers. How much is this soulless direction costing them in profit vs how much liability they used to have.

@Abandonsoyciety Год назад

Covid will probably prevent that from ever happening again.

@kugelblitzingularity304 Год назад

Umm actually I dont want kids near a McDonald's for their health. I take this as an absolute win.

@CubeAtlantic Год назад

I wouldn't call McDonald's "soulless" broski it's not visaully-appeling or elaborate i used to find the ball pools kind of dope but unclean as a kid but i vividly used to chill & run in the McDonald's tubes, & playgrounds.

@djdjdjdsjsjejne2603 Год назад

Part of the soulless Ness is bc these fast food chaines try to rebrand as healthy, without changing their menu. They do this by building restaurants with the colors green and brown (wood) which are associated with nature and by extension organic food

@tylere.8436 Год назад

It's practically manipulative and deceptive.

@endcaps1917 Год назад

So basically in there attempt to do all style no substance they did no style no substance

@davidhoward4715 Год назад

@@endcaps1917 It's a fast food "restaurant" for pity's sake!

@PeterParker-ff7ub Год назад

it only looks like every other building

@planescaped Год назад

Lol that is so dumb if it's true.

@emmarose2385 Год назад

In business school I learned that another factor in this change was to compete with fast casual restaurants such as Panera, chipotle etc. the previous color scheme also was associated with a brand image of unhealthiness which typically is the case of fast food restaurants. As much as the homogenization in the lack of play structures for kids makes me sad and it makes me thankful for the McDonald’s of the pass I understand why they decided to go this route… It’s all about business and money.

@guildrich Год назад

Doesn't make the food any healthier, though. 😄

@bunnyben5607 Год назад

Funny how they did this, but now they just look hilariously mismatched. They have none of the brand identity of Panera/chipotle. Modern McDonald's look like soulless slop dispensaries, and maybe that's what they want.

@Honestcritic79 Год назад

To me, this makes more sense. I think ever since McDonald’s got a bad rap, and the name was synonymous with unhealthy junk food, McDonald’s, in a weird way, wanted to distance itself from its own image by making its own restaurant, seem more bland, and more disassociated with the original McDonald and in essence wanted to present itself as just your average eatery.

@iiplaya Год назад

@@Honestcritic79it’s just strange because whenever I see a mcdonald’s I still instantly think “eww”

@TheHomerowKeys Год назад

so it's all just denial? We know fast food is generally unhealthy. I'd rather these fast food places lean into the "Paunch Burger" aesthetic and just let people know "it's junk; eat in moderation"

@Eirik_Bloodaxe Год назад

I had a more solid realization of this trend when I finally went into a Taco Bell that was fully redesigned to their new black, silver, purple aesthetic. It felt sterile. Cold. Uninviting. It didn’t feel like somewhere I’d wanna eat at, or hang out with friends or anything. Just a grey block of steel with hints of purple.

@peijichan2589 Год назад

I agree! Even if the monochromatic logo redesign is more minimal and therefore "modern," it just doesn't do it for me. I miss Taco Bell's pink, yellow, and purple color scheme: it was unique and easy to identify as a Taco Bell. Even now, every time I see their white and purple sign, I keep thinking it's old and faded, and assume the location itself is run down. 😅

@Cincy32 Год назад

I haven't ate at Taco Bell in years. Same for McDonald's & Burger King.

@maxbrandt6 Год назад

Much agreed, cold and uninviting is the vibe of today's Taco Bell, it's rather depressing. Their food is okay but look at how their restaurants used to be styled in the 70s and 80s, they had a much warmer pantone and the American southwest vibe to the architecture was rather charming, they were competing against Taco Viva (which was better) that also had a delightful southwestern vibe going. I absolutely HATE the way Taco Bell restaurants look in 2023 and I never see anyone sitting in the one up the road from me anymore, no mystery there.

@daviddumoor8450 Год назад

@@Cincy32 del taco really helps getting over that Pepsi-Cola garbage, right?

@Etaoinshrdlu69 Год назад

Bright and colourful=poor and cheap Black, grey, and white=rich and premium

@joshr408 Год назад

Our local McDonald's was a 1950s throwback restaurant. Golden arches, black and white checkerboard floor, classic logo on the signage. Built around 2007

@realpillboxer Год назад

Interesting! There's a McD's in metro Detroit that was known as the "Fifties McDonalds". It had neon all around and lots of retro decor like you mentioned. Hell, it was the spot to take your shoebox Chevy or muscle car for a car meet on Fridays in the summer. However, probably around the Great Recession, it was remodeled and is now just another plain old McD's.

@wait_kuz Год назад

They remodeled it back in 2018, from what I heard it was because the owner passed away and whoever took it over after just decided to convert it to a regular looking McDonald's. I grew up down the street from their and I'll forever miss how it used to be. Used to go their after half days of school all the time.

@victorkreig6089 Год назад

@@realpillboxer the 08 collapse destroyed a lot of good things, and nobody ever saw real tangible consequences for it either, walked away scott free while destroying the lives of millions and causing the death of invaluable local businesses that never came back

@Ckbtony1983 Год назад

When I was growing up there was a 50s style store that had a 50s Ford parked out front... a working jukebox black and white checkered floors, red glittered seats, neon... Even the workers wore the old timey uniforms it was awesome

@PeruvianPotato Год назад

@@victorkreig6089 Oh we know who was responsible, it's just that they will always absolve each other of any consequences.

@kamX-rz4uy Год назад

When they first started remodeling they often used "stone" on the exterior plus lighter colors along with red and yellow. I remember going into some of them and thought they were a really nice upgrade. But they quickly switched to the drab and bland disasters that are supposed to attract the Starbucks crowd.

@estahbear Год назад

Don't even get me started on them replacing the menus with more restrictive online ordering systems

@BenoHourglass Год назад

@@estahbear Last time I went I wasn't even sure why there was a till at all. There's nobody manning it and therefore no option to pay cash, anyway.

@guildrich Год назад

@John Williamson Exactly!

@naturesfinest2408 Год назад

there used to be a propane/gas fireplace in ours. they got rid of it with the renovation. it was nice and a comforting heat.

@kamX-rz4uy Год назад

@@naturesfinest2408 I know of a Dairy Queen with one and a nice seating area near it.

@thechexican101 Год назад

As an architectural designer who was contacted to update existing McDonald's to the latest "modern" style this was a really great video to watch. When I first had them as a client I was excited to update the existing architecture but then quickly realized everything has been meticulously designed for peak efficiency of customer traffic. Most of their money comes from the drive thru so that has always been the first upgrade. I was also asked so many times if I got to design the play places, unfortunately no, pretty much every single design element has been predetermined by corporate McD from furniture to how the kitchen is laid out.

@seanmurphy9776 Год назад

Yep, been there. Usually the only time they are modified extensively is when a P & Z Board or code forces differentiation. I had the rare exception of being on the design team for a national department store chain that was building a new and different version of their store. One of the first in the country. Even in the earliest experiments with new corporate designs, efficiency and cost savings are baked in from the get-go.

@Novusod Год назад

It is not just McDonald's, all fast food and restaurant architecture is being homogenized. I think it has to do with the revival of urbanism in the 2010s. Many fast food corporations opened up "flagship" stores inside major cities such as in New York's Times Square. In these locations it was impossible to have fancy signs and towering arches or a Mansfield roof. The flagship stores were limited to just a storefront at the base of a much larger skyscraper. This left very little room for creativity. Then those in charge of corporate branding made a decision to update the suburban locations to resemble the bland look of the flagship stores. Corporate uniformity is very important in fast food marketing. Every McDonalds location is supposed to look more or less the same. The didn't want the city locations having one look and the suburban locations with a completely different look. They wanted a uniform look for both city and suburban locations so that is how we ended with these very band and homogenized designs.

@pt9973 Год назад

But wouldn’t you say this is what McDo was about all the time? So I would argue against the video, that the over arching (pun intended) architectural premise was always modern and hence within the capitalist system, ergo soulless or disenchanted if you will, all the time, since the beginning: and that is why it has always been so successful.

@mrmaniac3 Год назад

Ironically, you have to go back to the roots of McDonald's to actually find peak efficiency in that regard. The restaurant featured little more than a kitchen with a walk up ordering window, with a much simpler menu. You could get your burger within a minute of ordering. And it requires you to be outside of a car, making it highly space efficient. This is part of what makes food trucks and food stands viable, and even highly profitable in places with high amounts of pedestrian traffic. Drive-thrus are fundamentally inefficient and cumbersome, requiring space on the lot for numerous cars to cue up and wait, often resulting in cars spilling out onto the stroad, and even into the highway if it's close. It's all the more terrible when pedestrians are turned away or deprioritized in favor of cars, taking away the only truly efficient interface a customer can have with the restaurant. Walk into an In-N-Out restaurant and you'll find huge wait times as the restaurant focuses on the staggeringly long line of cars. Their menu is simple enough to be almost comparable to the original McDonald's, but their designs and functions are a world of a difference. Car dominance led any given fast food restaurant chain away from their roots, and towards mediocrity.

@Sacto1654 Год назад

Correct. The increased emphasis on drive-through and delivery sales has reduced the need for in-restaurant dining facilities.

@Morphologis Год назад

I'm an Architectural Designer who's company has worked with franchise owners across the US for the past 10 years. Your summary is a fine one, and it's always pained me that the designs are rather uninspired. If I may add, there is an additional reason you didn't discuss that is a large factor in why they look the way they do. Very few stores now days are actually owned by "Corporate" anymore, nearly every store for every type of fast food restauraunt across the US is owned by a private franchisee. While franchises vary wildly in culinary offering, they all share a similar contract with the franchise owner (McDonalds, etc.) that requires a store "refresh" after a set duration of time. This is part of the clinically researched business of fast food, where it is understood that newer stores see higher traffic for the first few years. There's more to it than that, but I'll stick to the big points for the sake of concision. Having a essentially a box as structure is optimal for this hyper-consumerist style of architecture, as it can be dressed up to look different fairly easily. Additionally, as you aluded to, it can likewise be redressed to be a different franchise, which works great for owners who typically have a portfolio of several different types of franchise. They may, for example, rotate out franchises instead of doing a straight refresh to better target local preferences. Personally, while I love the people I work with, the designs can indeed be quite bland. My other work keeps me engaged design wise at least.

@TheHomerowKeys Год назад

So you're part of this problem.

@bigboahpete7484 Год назад

@@TheHomerowKeys I don’t think he wants to be

@RetroMaticGamer Год назад

Removing all that kid-friendliness is gonna hurt McDonalds in the longrun. We as adults eat there because brand loyalty was indoctrinated into us as kids playing in the PlayPlace and scoring those Happy Meal toys. Now that today's kids are no longer forming those bonds, what's left to secure the brand's dominance in the future against all their hungry competitors? Nothing.

@Horse4lunch Год назад

I dont agree with this at all. I have 0 brand loyalty and i still eat McDonalds every few months. I eat fast food usually once a week or so, And alot of the places are things I'd never heard of or didn't exist when i was a kid.

@house2869 Год назад

I completely agree with this without a doubt. I have 100% brand loyalty and I eat there every few months, fast food every few weeks. Most of these places are things I've heard of and are worth trying and appealing.

@urphakeandgey6308 Год назад

You're missing one key detail which is demographic shift. People don't have as many kids anymore. Kids just aren't that large of a market anymore, will seemingly continue to shrink, and it's ultimately their parents' money anyway. Either way, families still routinely stop by McDonald's. While the next generation might not be as loyal, I don't think it's as dire as you think.

@milky_quartz Год назад

what ? I loved playing in McDonald's as a kid , but I don't eat it anymore because I played there as a kid. I know now that food is Bad. I'm not loyal to it because of Nostalgia

@9852323 Месяц назад

I disagree because that was never needed to garner business in the first place. But I do agree the buildings are disgustingly hideous.

@chase522 Год назад

Not gonna lie, the brutalist architecture that we're delving into is starting to get eerily similar to dystopian movies.

@pyrobison2002 Год назад

It’s fun

@vote4republicans2024 Год назад

I was thinking the same thing. Like George Orwell designed it. In my neighborhood they just this year rebuilt the McDonalds using that gray wall futurist model. I went in there looking around. It now has kiosks where you can order which I have mixed feelings. Worse yet I paid almost $5.00 for a large chocolate shake. Wasn't that long ago you could buy a #1 meal for $5.00. Needless to say I won't be going there again even though I drive right by it almost everyday.

@DavidLLambertmobile Год назад

I agree. Some newer 2020s era places QSR look stark, void of style, friendly. Sonny's BBQ a BBQ chain which started, 1968 now 2023 looks drab, grey almost Warsaw Pact East Germany design. Logos are bland, small.

@B0lshevik Год назад

A #1 meal hasn't been $5 for 20 years

@pagdhsnsb Год назад

@@vote4republicans2024 inflation exists, no meals been just 5$ for years.

@mikeveenhuis9160 Год назад

In the Netherlands McDonald's changed its color scheme to yellow and dark green, because sustainable. The new restaurants are mostly constructed with wood paneling and green walls. So these are still recognisable as McDonald's, but different than before.

@naturesfinest2408 Год назад

actually sounds kinda neat and cozy

@Lostouille Год назад

I think we did it first in France too

@marinaschulz3183 Год назад

We have it too in Portugal. I think its a Europe thinh

@Lostouille Год назад

@@marinaschulz3183 In Morocco (so Africa) I saw them with green ceiling so they are doing it , and i think in Asia they do it too.

@pikachuchujelly7628 Год назад

Ah yes, greenwashing. Let's make it look like we care about sustainability while consuming copious amounts of beef hamburgers from cows that release methane.

@floofnoodle Год назад

I think this is a similar effect to electronics brands losing their colourful branding once they have carved out a place in the market and start trying to appear more luxurious

@D0MiN0ChAn Год назад

I hate these minimalistic/simplistic designs soo much 😩

@MrMarinus18 Год назад

I don't think it's that. I think it's more the case that as they grow being inoffensive becomes more important than being appealing. As a startup you want something striking and eye catching to attract people. However as you are gigantic and have become a very well known and trusted brand you want to get more generic to convert the people who were turned off by you.

@tankart150 Год назад

@@D0MiN0ChAn I agree

@eminempreg Год назад

I miss colorful blob tech!!

@johnfoltz8183 Год назад

Or different car brands looking like the same

@AverytheCubanAmerican Год назад

I would say that their new design is more of a "Starbucks-ification" than Chipotle. This building design came about around the same time they started expanding the McCafé service offering. It was a smart move. It enhanced their breakfast offerings, and brought people in throughout the day for a coffee, which bolstered other dayparts. Franchisees loved the idea too because coffee beverages are a high profit margin product. With the birth rates falling, I think this was a conscious decision to appeal to a more adult audience. I don't mind the new style of building. It's clean and efficient, although admittedly boring. It doesn't seem to communicate anything of the company's heritage. I do agree with the overall premise of the video though. Chain architecture is becoming more and more bland. It is especially noticeable in chain hotels. It seems most now are cheaply made stucco boxes.

@MultiTimelady Год назад

I enjoy the new McDonald's, the interior is very calming. I could step in,place my order,get it and sit down. Taking deep breaths and just relax. Anyway, this design was a result of Michelle Obama's get moving program . It helped to make fast food less palatable to children by removing mascots, bright ,fun colors. And lawsuits also had a hand in the designs. Less injuries more on the bottom line

@Owen-zm6sq Год назад

@@MultiTimelady Frankly I just think it sucks to turn it into a more corporate bland structure, and making it less kid friendly hasn't done too much to lower the average obesity rate in Americans.

@GreenBlueWalkthrough Год назад

Yeah I get the need to appeal to kidless adults who will soon be the largest demographic in 1st and 2nd world nations... But they could have done it with character... not this we got to be minimalist which does work if your Star bucks but not MC Donalds who seems to be riding reputation at this point... Like if you driving to work and want breakfast why stop at any of these places you can't tell apart?

@Пинагод Год назад

The problem does lie when you can't even recgonize it as a McDonald's, though. You can still use the golden archways or the bright red and yellow in a sophisticated way. Honestly I'm rather sure that its blandness and its lack of spirit could be changed if they added a bit more distinguishable color; ironically, like Starbuck's. Starbuck's still has a marketable trade color they incorporate into their buildings and still manages to look sophisticated or mature, and although the colors are mostly dark, there's still complementary light colors to red and yellow that can look sophisticated (such as white and tawny brown).

@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un Год назад

In Porto, Portugal, they opened a McDonald's in 1995 inside the historic Cafe Imperial, a former coffeeshop that was in the city since the 1930s. It has massive stained-glass windows and chandeliers. On top of that, it has a GIANT bronze eagle at the entrance designed by sculptor Henrique Moreira. Many call it the world's most beautiful McDonald's. Goes to show you there are still locations that resist this kind of change.

@esthers3906 Год назад

The Paris Rue Saint-Lazare location is also pretty incredible. It's in a charming, rustic old building that was originally a German beer hall, and while there are elements of McDonald's branding, it also keeps many of the original features. I would love to see more of that approach. Embrace the beauty and character of the existing infrastructure while still incorporating the company's branding.

@samplesample7178 Год назад

I think in a lot of old European cities that's the case. Now I don't like McDonald's food a lot so I have not been in a lot of locations but also in Innsbruck, Austria it is actually quite charming (or at least was when I was there last time almost 10 years ago)

@kenneyjake Год назад

You live in Korea.

@zsigmondkara Год назад

There is also a very nice one in Budapest, Hungary in the side of the historic building of the western railway station.

@deborahmatatall Год назад

Really interesting! I have wondered why Wendy’s, Burger King and McDonald’s and even White Castle have all developed that generic sameness. Also, Oak Brook, NOT Oak Lawn, was where the McDonald’s headquarters was located. I understand, though. Too many suburbs have Oak or Park or Forest in their names, including Forest Park and Park Forest!😂🌸

@brianmolina8818 Год назад

not to mention my old home: Oak Park!

@LizzW90 Год назад

Wanted to say this as well. Definitely was in Oak Brook. I almost got sent to Hamburger University which I was only willing to do because my store was in Wheaton so it would've only been a half hour or so drive. Or two hours with traffic.

@principalmcvicker6530 Год назад

Triple offender near me: Lake Forest Park

@mgscheue Год назад

As many times as I've driven through that area, the names still massively confuse me. And I remember driving past the McDonald's headquarters in Oak Brook. Didn't know it has relocated.

@Maaaatttttt Год назад

Oh okay i live around Oak Lawn and never seen that. And Oak Forest is another

@bonnyd.5334 Год назад

I'm an adult, no kids... and I liked the fun, light hearted, welcoming feel of the kid / family friendly McDonalds. I like the old, open and welcoming Golden Arches. Why can't McDonalds have some restaurants that are more adult, especially those in business districts, pedestrian areas that are more adult oriented and family friendly closer to where families live. I remember when each McDonalds was unique. For example, one had old photos of the neighborhood; another had photos of old McDonalds buildings and a third had McDonalds advertising characters. Even though McDonalds is a chain, where everything is formulaic, there were touches that made each McDonalds just enough unique. I miss that.

@nateclipps Год назад

I have no clue why ppl care so much about how a mega billion dollar corporation styles their restaurants lmfao

@Jarandjar Год назад

@@nateclipps When people grow up with brands engrained in their brain, that brand then gets a loyal customer for the entirety of their lifespan.

@jema5039 Год назад

@@nateclipps because it shapes our culture & visual perception is everything? Basic psychology concepts bud, you can’t be this dense lmao.

@nateclipps Год назад

@@jema5039 I would argue that the way your raised and bigger things such as the media you consume, the way you style yourself or your bedroom, etc etc. Affects your visual representation on life 10x more than how a McDonald’s looks like. Literally no one who goes to McDonald’s is looking for subtly pleasing aesthetics, just food. So no, the way society views life, or any concept of art isn’t based off of how a mega billion dollar corporation designs their restaurant’s. Also: stop with the unnecessary “sassy” Attitude, you can simply layout your argument without the unnecessary name calling & being so confrontational. It’s so corny & lame. Like it seriously isn’t that deep..

@retroryan838 Год назад

Something also sad is there used to be themed McDonald’s. In Rice Lake, Wisconsin there is a McDonald’s that used to look like a 50s diner on the inside. The floors were white and black tiles, there were neon lights, the booths looked like the trunks of a 57’ Chevy, and it also had Mac Tonight playing a piano. Today it’s now just a boring McDonald’s lacking any personality.

@AndrewDunn Год назад

Also worth noting that McDonald’s is largely a franchise business. 82% of their locations in the USA are franchisees. I doubt they own many of these building sites, and a landlord is going to want a building that can easily be repurposed for the next tenant.

@SequoiaElisabeth Год назад

Exactly, thanks for mentioning, now I don't have to. 🙂

@robbertom Год назад

They actually do own a majority of their building sites, they collect more money in rent than most think. Some hedge funds have advocated for even splitting out the real estate business it's so successful.

@raaaaaaaaaam496 Год назад

They own the land on each McDonald’s and enforce the design of the building.

@762rk95tp Год назад

At lest in US they own lot of their buildings, franchisees are renting those buildings. Globally McDonald's or it's local subsidiaries own even less of business and even more of it is ran by franchisees. Typically they own and run one or two restaurants per country or region in cases bigger countries. Those are used to train franchisees and their management staff.

@Nicksonian Год назад

How often do McDonalds locations close? Not often. So thinking about future occupants isn’t a concern. More likely, an older-style McDonalds is torn down to make way for the newest design. A location here in Annapolis, Md. is on its third building since I moved here in 1986. Their second building was built with the back of the restaurant facing the street, supposedly to enhance the drive through. But it was so ugly, it didn’t last a decade.

@JohnD-us6zj Год назад

Hi Stewart - one additional factor driving this homogenization could be commercial real estate financing. Most small businesses (the vast majority of McDonald's stores are owned by franchisees) seek to leverage as much of a building's cost as possible, however banks reduce the percentage of the building's value they're willing to lend against when a building is "single use", or of such construct or design that it can't be easily sold for other purposes in the event of foreclosure. Thanks for all the great work you do with these videos - I've enjoyed them thoroughly!

@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un Год назад

The headquarters was in Oak Brook, not Oak Lawn. While the building is quite modern, at least Americans are able to try international products not available in other US locations. That being said, the minimalistic architecture of fast-food restaurants has been a trend for over a decade now....so has minimalism in general. In homes and all kinds of businesses. Companies change their logos in favor of simplicity. I personally can't wait for this trend to die. I have a McDonald's at my palace food court and the look is...just so boring.

@abaddon2148 Год назад

agreed, cannot wait for people to realize how awful minimalism is and for it to *finally* keel over and be left out to pasture like it should've done 40+ years ago

@zackakai5173 Год назад

Agreed. I was opining about a month ago to a friend that I miss how electronics used to come in all kinds of cool futuristic designs. Now I walk by any store selling phones in the mall and my brain plays that little soundclip of Patrick Star shouting "rectangles!"

@smashthatbirdie Год назад

Catch #1, West Suburban Oak Brook was the former McDonald's International Headquarters and home of Hamburger University. Catch #2, "friendly" is spelled incorrectly in Mark Mouller quote. Topics for expansion - standalone fast food & other suburban buildings are reasons for 1) inefficient & expensive car society 2) suburban sprawl adding to inefficiency & expense 3) inefficient use of space and low tax revenue generation in the suburbs

@usernameiphone3gkid Год назад

I was gonna say, I don't remember that HQ building in Oak Lawn lmao

@EpikBirb Год назад

@@zackakai5173 I mean, if it ain't broke, don't fix it

@Jason-kg3oc Год назад

At least the original McDonald’s redesign after the red roofs had the “swoosh” arch above the restaurant. This was a great nod to the past with a modern touch. It was a great compromise between old and new. Now the most up to date redesigns in the last few years are the grey boxes with the logo. It’s exactly like everywhere else.

@odysseywrecker Год назад

All of them look horrible now

@z609gaming Год назад

I work at McDonald’s. All new buildings were built with the swoosh as you said. However, remodels were given that gray look. I don’t mind either. Recently they started using a new design for new buildings, which does not include the swoosh(Google street view the McDonald’s in Orange City, NJ). The remodels are still receiving the gray look.

@MrMarinus18 Год назад

Though how many additional customers do they actually draw with an eye catching design? Most people will just look up a mc. Donalds along the way on their smartphone.

@AztecDread Год назад

@@z609gaming I work in construction, all the new McDonald's are being built with the same grey box design, haven't worked on a McDonald's with a arch (it's actually supposed to be a French fry) in a while

@z609gaming Год назад

@@AztecDread yeah They all are gray but I noticed the newest ones have more wooden accents. The remodels don’t really have those.

@henryglennon3864 Год назад

My favorite McDonald's is in Freeport, Maine. The local zoning board was apparently powerful enough to muscle the franchise into making the exterior look like a white clapboard house from the 1820s.

@flytrapYTP Год назад

I just looked it up on Google maps, that's insane lmao. I've never seen something like this.

@evgeniisemanov3399 Год назад

Too bad the rest of the town is just a giant parking lot

@Tecknee Год назад

It wasn’t made to look like anything. McDonald’s bought the house and turned it into a McDonald’s.

@saladsalad9991 Год назад

@@flytrapYTP look up the Biltmore McDonald's in Asheville NC

@riproar11 Год назад

I have not been to Freeport, Maine in twenty years, but back then it was obvious that the town had a law that every company, corporate or private, had to have a chiseled, embossed wood sign with gold paint on the embossed areas. It looked really nice and "classy" on McDonald's, Polo Ralph Lauren, LL Bean, etc. Too bad the current McD's structure has deviated from the past signage.

@yohann2768 Год назад

What I see here is the same driving forces as in new condo constructions : Bland, flat looking constructions that can be mass produced for cheap, insuring maximum ROI for investors. After all, they are the one to please, the customers / inhabitants are just an afterthought.

@codycast Год назад

There wouldn’t be ROI in those design if there was not customer demand for them. I always wonder why we keep seeing boring apartment buildings but the people who are figuring out how to make the highest return are doing so by figuring out what people want. So while they look bland to you (and me) for some reason they’re the most popular with most consumers.

@AztecDread Год назад

@@codycast they're literally addicted to the "food" just like drug dealers don't need fancy bags because the product is going to sell regardless because people are addicted to it

@codycast Год назад

@@AztecDread these companies spend 100s of millions on advertising. You don’t think they put thought into their design and what’s going to bring people in the door to get the highest rev per $ spent?

@bossfan49 Год назад

I wish you would have mentioned/shown some other restaurants that had distinct architecture, such as Red Lobster, Pizza Hut, Jack In The Box, Dairy Queen, Ponderosa etc...

@awesomesauceballs 11 месяцев назад

Oh yeah, Dairy Queen had that cool Barn design, and some DQ restaurants still have it.

@AverytheCubanAmerican Год назад

At least some McDonald's still remain unique. Here on Long Island, a McDonald's was built inside a Georgian-style mansion called the Denton House. The Denton House was originally a farmhouse in the 1790s before it was converted into a Georgian-style mansion in the 1860s. McDonald's acquired the dilapidated property in 1985, originally wanting to demolish it, before the locals fought back and successfully sought historic designation. They agreed McDonald's was allowed to build a drive-thru within it if they could restore the exterior back to how it once was. After a big renovation, McDonald's opened the location in 1991. It received another renovation in 2017 as part of a company-wide thing, while still maintaining its look.

@garrrflock4064 Год назад

Ayo I live right next to it. Apparently my house from 1700 was the only farm house next to it. Still have the original sketches of the house showing baby trees which are giants now.

@kl3nd4thu Год назад

There are so many fast food joints that have the boring box design. Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Burger King, and Chick Fil A are just a few. These boxes look like a quick design study in Sketchup. Just start with a big box then do a few push/pulls on the walls to give a little variation (just a little) and you are done.

@guildrich Год назад

That's EXACTLY what it looks like! By the way, would you like "sketchup" with those fries? 😅

@Nekole1 Год назад

This is a great point here

@rabbitherochlo Год назад

I was just at the rock n roll McDonald’s on Saturday and it was so depressing going in there. It looks like the life has been sucked out of it. And they don’t let you eat in the dining area anymore (probably because of the panini) but it just looks like another corporate building downtown.. it sucks

@2ridiculous41 Год назад

paralleling rock'n'roll then.

@malonesizelove Год назад

You can now dine in at certain hours at this location. I think it’s a great building for a McDonald,s. The plant wall is cool as is the rooftop garden. Very Mies looking from the interior looking out. Ya might want to catch the typo in the quote at 8:47 kid-friendly stuff. Nice job !

@odysseywrecker Год назад

@@2ridiculous41 You have no taste at all

@2ridiculous41 Год назад

@@odysseywrecker is that about rock music? I used to work with The Clash, Captain Beefheart, Iggy, Funkadelic and I could go on. I don't any more. Maybe I have no taste. I became a designer and a property developer.

@chimeraaaaa_ Год назад

@@2ridiculous41 Was your original comment about music? For all the big names you used to work with, you sure do know nothing about communication. He replied to your original comment, which is presumably about the mcdonalds location called 'rock and roll mcdonalds' because the comment it's a response to was about the architecture of the current glass box standing there. Nothing about music was mentioned (and has yet to be clearly stated) until you decided to leave a comment vague enough to confuse yourself into crying about how you used to be somebody

@segevstormlord3713 Год назад

I think a lot of these trends are a consequence of the separation of the corporate executives from the product. Which is only possible in a highly-regulated environment, because large corporations with enormous overhead are inherently less cost-effective than smaller companies that keep the management and the product and the customer all closely-linked. The distance leads to a lot of hands trying to justify their own jobs, none of which have any tie other than to cold numbers on a spreadsheet, and few of which know actually what drives those numbers. This lack of understanding leads to homogenization, because it is easier to take little risk and blame any drop-off on exterior factors while using your "low risk" approach as evidence you "shored things up."

@MrJayray63 Год назад

My local McDonalds used to have a black hole on the ceiling ripping apart Roman style arches and statues of penguins. It resembled a rip in time which I always thought was the most unique and badass decoration design right over bar style seating in the middle of the restaurant. Sad day when they remodeled it, took out the playground at the same time too.

@Dark_Tale_1985 Год назад

They opened a new McDonalds recently. None of my friends knew despite loving McDonalds. It looks like just another building among a sea of grey. The only reason I even knew it was a McDonalds was due to their grand opening sign. If you missed it, you may have not realized it was there. Meanwhile, we still have a classic looking McDonalds in a corner street near a park. Stands out and shows itself well. It is still doing well. The new one? I rarely see that many cars around it. It looks so dead right now. This is going to come back to bite them one day, I swear.

@xenxander Год назад

the younger gen don't give a shit anyway, they are too glued to their phones and know it's a Mc_Dees because their phone told them it is and so they know it is. What's the point in keeping with more expensive architecture when people just use their phones and know where you are ?

@veramae4098 Год назад

It seems that each McDonald's remodeling is worse than the last. I'm glad to hear I'm not alone thinking this.

@highstickcreative Год назад

it's not going to bite them... because all of the chains are doing it... If they were the only one, then yes, maybe, and even thats a big Maybe. What's going to bite McD's is the quality of the food, lol.

@baconwizard Год назад

@@xenxander spontaneous interaction! If i go to town with the intention of getting some new clothes but feel hungry on the way there, what is going to grab my intention first: a sea of grey and beige, or an iconic building design with unique colours? Signage was never meant to be the reason you went somewhere - it was the reason you stayed.

@xenxander Год назад

Now, I want to reply to my own comment to say this: I love unique architecture. Cities and individual buildings NEED to have personality. I notice American architecture lost its way sometime in the last fifty years. Cities are neigh indistinguishable from one another. Remember when you could TELL that city was Madrid, Rome, Moscow, Tashkent, Brazzaville, etc. Nothing is unique anymore and everything is ubiquitous. Culture has lost its way.

@christopherstephenjenksbsg4944 Год назад

"Learning from Las Vegas" was the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of today's video, so I was pleased that you brought it up. I think Venturi and Scott Brown were on to something about the vernacular of that age (as well as our own), and their ideas certainly influenced Post Modern types of architecture. But honestly, I have never really had much appreciation for this kind of architecture. Growing up in NYC, I didn't have a lot of experience of chain restaurants, unlike many others on this thread. New York was still very much a city of corner stores and pizza joints. The first time I remember going to a fast-food restaurant was when I was invited to spend the weekend at a classmate's summer house when I was eight or nine. On the drive there his mother stopped at a McDonalds to grab dinner, which we ate in the car. It was the "classic" McDonalds, with the shed roof and golden arches. Very striking!

@usa1mac Год назад

Another outstanding video.. thanks! Another factor may be tools like navigation apps (Google Maps) and extensive freeway info signs (food and rest stop info) make architecture less important as people don't need the building to find the place.

@StephenCoorlas Год назад

Yes exactly 🤘

@Qwerty-jy9mj Год назад

The signs are for the sake of mind share, not navigation

@RotchildFrancoisJr Год назад

I was thinking the same thing! The brands can rely on people searching for them instead of the other way around.

@manuelka15 Год назад

plus they are a supper stabished brand... but was that not true 20 years ago as well? 🤔

@SteveJobIess Год назад

0:34 if you cant tell the difference between the mcdonalds and the wendys, then adding silly design elements isnt going to help. This video is overstating the issue. When was the last time you pulled up to a wendys thinking it was chipotle or some other restaurant for that matter?

@austinlawler3739 Год назад

Another thing with fast food restaurants in the 80's and 90's when I was growing up is the interior design. I grew up in Kane County IL, and there was a big difference on the interiors even in a five mile radius. The McDonald's in my town had a huge aquarium in the center, the one in the town over had a basement where you could have birthday parties and it also had some kid friendly decor. Then around 90-91' they built a brand new one in Elgin that had a play place, one of the first built. The Burger King in my town had a multiple levels where you would walk down 3 or 4 steps to a bit more intimate seating area (one area was the smoking section). That was vastly different then other Burger Kings in the area. It is not only the exterior that is important, but also the interior that help make it stand out. The exteriors are so plain today, it really is hard to tell one restaurant from the next. I wonder if making some restaurants more unique could make them busier, or have a slight throwback feel. When Miller Light was losing its share of the beer market, they went back to the original can design. Their sales massively increased because of that, beating out some of the biggest brands. I think the only unique fast food restaurant today is KFC with its striped buildings, and has just a touch of what some of the original drive thru KFC's looked liked. People still seek out the unusual fast food restaurants that still exist like the Burger King in the Van Ness area in Washington, DC. Or the McDonald's on Disney property in front of Magic Kingdom (although that may have been razed). Nostalgia is huge (look at all the McDonald's stuff in October) and standing out could even be a magnet for social media people. I think these companies are blind to the potential up side of being unique.

@punchdrunkassassin Год назад

A&W in Canada is also very unique and stands out, even after their modern facelift. A&W Canada honestly do a lot of things right - I feel like they've made the most of the transition to the modern architecture and the menu upgrades (beyond meat, etc) while still maintaining their classic brand image and feel.

@austinlawler3739 Год назад

@@tamagothchic I was talking more about the big companies, but yes you are correct. However those Dairy Queens aren't that old, the old ones are made to look like barns and have a Dutch boy and girl on them. You still see them around here and there. IHOP is another that still has some of the original buildings, the A frame style ones. Shell still has some of the gas stations that have octagon canopy over the pumps. Smaller companies still have unique buildings, but McDonald's, YUM Brands, Brinker International, Chipotle very rarely do.

@jimmysol Год назад

I worked as a consultant for McD and was responsible for getting these projects through city planning and I have to say a lot of this is also driven by city ordnance. Cities are much more picky of the materials and general esthetic then they use to be. I don’t believe the previous design would get through the pickier commissions and it would be more work to carry forward multiple standards.

@Uriah625 Год назад

My friend was a city planner and said this exact thing. Every new commerce area had to meet certain guidelines. The days of throwing up a pole shed office to sell used cars is done. Bright and vibrant colors that contrast the building next door are done. Everything t from fencing in the dumpsters to having landscaping. As much as the brands may not like it, we have to admit it makes the area look a lot nicer.

@xenxander Год назад

Just set it up to a vote on the population and they would vote for the new design.. the old design.. the one they want. Whatever you call it. Then when you spring it onto the people that the building they like is restricted by ordinances, you can bet the people would be pissed enough to send lots of letters.. emails in this day.. or texts.. enough to annoy them enough.. to let it happen. You just have to appeal to the stupid people of today to get it done.

@zachmacklin1290 Год назад

@@xenxander oh totally bro, definitely, this has totally happened

@DavidLLambertmobile Год назад

Yes, you can see QSR in parts of Florida that are soul less, brick or grey-black. City, county zone/bldg regulations 📁. They can't have huge neon signs or bright colors.

@GoldenTV3 Год назад

I remember back in high school dropping by after school sometimes, you actually wanted to go in, it felt warm. Now I do anything not to go in, it's so harsh.

@rickrose5377 Год назад

One correction: you said that McDonald's moved their corporate headquarters to Chicago's West Loop from its former location in Oak Lawn, IL. McDonald's headquarters were formerly in Oak Brook, IL -- which is a very different place.

@arribalaschivas91 Год назад

Someone beat me to it

@jimohagan Год назад

And me too. 😂

@jeffclark4107 Год назад

Add me to the list. They were never headquartered in Oak Lawn.

@babaluigi Год назад

I also remember the building way differently - may have been an older photo. The one I went to was brown, surrounded by forest, with a huge fountain. Not that brutalist thing.

@jeffmorse645 Год назад

Got to thinking about the mission style Taco Bell restaurants of my youth in California and how they are all now just generic fast food buildings. They were very distinctive back in the day (and much smaller).

@jonrussell1690 Год назад

Thank you for this video. I agree with you…I miss the “character “ of the co. Each one used to be different, now they are just boxes w/logos to distinguish between each other.

@ArmaHipHopTV Год назад

Finally someone brings awareness to this! I've been talking about this for ages every time I see McDonalds and fast food restaurants, they're all becoming boring and colourless and trying to look like some over-professional lame adult restaurant. Bring colour back, us adults like having fun lol.

@mikehenson819 Год назад

I couldn't agree with you more! And while they're at it; how about greeting the patrone's warmly and actually acting like they appreciate their customers again?? If what they have is a glimpse of the future, I don't want any part of it.

@constanttraveler Год назад

Same, Taco Bell even redesigned their signage to look like the sun faded all of the color out

@Tubes12AX7k Год назад

Amen. Agreed. This whole time period has very limited color. Everything is just a gray slab. I purposely buy bold, intensely-colored cars just as a rebellion against this drab, gray time period. McDonalds should be fun, recognizable, and family friendly. It's so soul-less now, I just try to order and go.

@joy4118 Год назад

No fun allowed since 2019 - you know - Covid.

@jscountrygirl85_326 Год назад

Same. I've been disliking these changes ever since they started renovating many of the restaurants around the mid 2000's, and the designs have just gotten more cold, soulless, and lacking in creativity with time. It's like all the warm and welcoming atmosphere, the fun, the creativity, and family friendly vibes in fast food places are suddenly not allowed anymore in the 21st century. It's depressing! This also goes for some bigger restaurants like Red Robin, which also had a much cooler and more fun atmosphere in the 90's, including a mini arcade near the entrance and restrooms. I'm also glad I'm not the only one who thinks these things matter and are important!

@Felix-nz7lq Год назад

As a European I think it’s interesting the way they built their restaurants in the US because to me and many others McDonalds have always been more of an urban fixture. My association is much more with the interior design than any particular building since they usually just find whatever’s available. There’s one near me in an old bank with romanesque pillars and everything.

@MustraOrdo Год назад

Americans design around cars while Europeans don't. Simple as.

@jukeboxxgamer Год назад

This also has to do with how wildly different American zoning laws are. It limits where you can or cannot place commercial buildings. Reusing buildings for new purposes or creating multi-functional buildings is also less common, as a result.

@anirbanmukherjee5240 Год назад

The McD and BK restaurants in my town either don’t open for dining in at all or only open for a few hours. Most of the business is drive through. A small part is delivery. I predict that we will see less and less interesting design because no one is even stopping to sit in the restaurant. One BK has an amazing location. The sunset from the benches nearby is amazing! I am often the only person there. I even see people do the drive through and then eat in their car.

@chrispnw2547 Год назад

As a former River North resident, I was surprised the McDonalds location has been reimagined again! Thank you so much for your content on RU-vid and Nebula.

@jasonmajere2165 Год назад

There was a huge push for redoing interiors in like 2019.

@elizabethpeterson1644 Год назад

I kind of missed the McDonald’s from the 70’s through the 90’s. I’m getting so used to the modern McDonald’s. I did really liked the old school when I was growing up. The interiors were so different than the outside. I remembered going into one that had kind of a Star Wars theme. My favorite one had a 1950’s theme inside in the early 90’s. I only been in these 2 McDonald’s in the county that I lived in. I liked one of them better than the other one. When I was little it was a real treat to go to one.

@Sketch105 Год назад

The Playful architecture concept art was very close to the restaurant they build on Disney World property (not the Disney Springs/Downtown Disney location but one that was close to animal kingdom). It too was rethemed into a green slat building with the logo on the side and nothing more.

@jayski9410 Год назад

Did anybody catch that 27 cents per gallon gasoline sign at 6:01 in the video? It's a Gulf station right next to the McDonald's. Talk about the good old days, you could get a couple of gallons of gas and a burger - and still get change back from your dollar! And oh yeah, they'd pump the gas for you, check your oil, and wash the windshield.

@brianjrobinson Год назад

It's a small fast food chain, but Austin-based P Terry's is definitely not following this trend. Buildings share some common themes, but each has its own design.

@arcavahaethon2669 Год назад

Cold, soulless, and indistinct are also features of their food so it makes a lot of sense.

@tuc1113 Год назад

As a senior citizen I remember going to McDonalds when they actually had "the Golden Arches", walk up windows only, and the red and white tiles. It was a special treat, not a mainstay of our diet. Obesity was uncommon then too.

@WorldinRooView Год назад

I think the changes have to do with the face that these fast-food chains don't really have to try anymore. When you're trying to attach new customers you architecture is like a mating dance. But now that they have plenty of franchise babies and market fitness, they can now put on their dad bods, because they got you, they don't need to attract any new potential partners.

@DJPGB Год назад

There is probably a simpler reason for the boxy design, and the key is something you mentioned near the beginning of the video but didn't explore. Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Burger King, and Chick-Fil-A buildings are looking the same because they've all started using some modern building materials and techniques that have a common feature: they are much less expensive to build than distinctive structures. It's not any social, artistic, or cultural development that has changed this architecture, it's money! (This boxy look shows up in new multi-dwelling residential construction, too.)

@EpikBirb Год назад

Money

@Knight_Kin Год назад

Fits better in the character of redeveloping towndowns with mixed use development. There are restrictions on the kind of building you can place in these locations and for good reason, so the designs have adapted to fit in where the new trends are going. These companies don't want to just be located at the edge of a sprawling parking lot. Everything is about money (resources), that's like saying water is wet.

@lunarpking Год назад

That quote of the restaurants being soulless is exactly how I felt when I worked at McDonalds. When I would go to the same exact location as a kid it felt great and like a place you could hold a conversation. There was a buzz of noise of people talking, eating and working. When I worked there at 18 the place had been remodeled (twice) into what was a place that was designed around the town, and that was pretty cool honestly, and then into what is now the modern and boring design. In fact it was the first like it I'd seen. The chairs were replaced first, which was decent, but then everything was. No longer did it feel like a place to get food, eat and talk... More like a library. Sterile and to serve a purpose, you're there to eat and nothing more. It's even genuinely quieter in there too. They redid the exterior again a year or two ago and it's even more boring and dead looking than it was when I worked there. Reminds me of how dead, soulless and cookie cutter every new house I work on now. They all look the same and all feel as if at the end of the day a machine built it, not people.

@barberjeff67 Год назад

A great look at this subject! While the 50s, arched building is my favorite, the Chicago glass box building looks great. Clean and modern

@ryanmanning5348 Год назад

Didn’t ask what your favorite was, Jeff!

@78.BANDIT Год назад

Gone are the good old day's when you use to get excited as a kid to go to Mickey D's. MISS it...😥

@PianoTechSupport Год назад

Why does there have to be a "the rise and fall of...." video about everything... The rise and fall of toilet paper??

@1020Shane Год назад

I won't go to a Mc donalds that doesn't have a red roof... the quarter pounder just hits differently when youre eating it while sitting on those faded yellow and brown seats. The new ones are soul crushing.

@Rosta720 Год назад

My Dad is an architect and designed a special McDonalds in the 80s in Seattle that apparently became very popular and was used throughout the west coast for a decade or so (they never gave him credit and he therefore hates them passionately.) Him aside, I loved how different they were when I was a kid. It was a little fun place and it seems like everything has been sacrificed for efficiency, which is the soullessness you mentioned. It's really sad to me.

@markk3453 Год назад

Stewart, great video! Their is comment thread below of all the coold Macdonald locations. Please make a video about that !

@chrislabar22 Год назад

Part of this shift in design has also been on the municipal side. There are more and more municipalities revising their zoning and design guidelines. If you didn’t know, a town can set design guidelines for how they want their town/Main Street(s) to look. And they have ultimate say in whether a building can be built or not (Terms and conditions apply). I work for a firm that dsigns a lot of chain restaurants and corporate architecture. When I tell you that there are some towns and cities that HATE corporate Architecture, I mean it. One town in SC (I can’t remember which) wrote their towns design guidelines to say ‘no corporate architecture’ in a way. They want to use earthy materials and no shiny surfaces. So things like Fibre-cement board (wood pattern or painted, or both), stone, stucco, brick (earth tones), etc. Prototype architecture is quite an interesting field, and I don’t think that it’s for everyone. But Brand Recognition is the name of the game. And while the building may not look like it used to, they are still different from each other and you still can recognize it if it was abandoned. They’re essentially trying to sell you a dining experience. And that experience gets boring the more and more you do it. So brands need to reinvent itself.

@Timelessdesign89 Год назад

Also, they are using new fo materials to make it quicker and cheaper to build. Redesigning and experimenting is costly. It would be nice to see more inspired fast food though.

@alize0623 Год назад

I mean, the new McDonald’s pretty frequently looks like an expensive modern home. If one were to close down I’m sure many would happily convert them into nifty houses. But I think those interesting architectural choices from back in the day added to the experience. If an Outback Steakhouse lost its distinct Australian theme and went for all modern motif, it’d be boring.

@aes53 Год назад

Really great, I’m old enough to remember those very first McDonalds which were sort of a kiosk held up by Golden Arches on either side. I remember my mother taking me to one for the first time, she came away with more than a little disdain. It sort of went against her culinary grain of what a hamburger should taste like.😂

@AztecDread Год назад

I could only imagine her opinion now! It's barely passable as real food anymore!

@nrrork Год назад

Those original ones with the slanted roofs and arches are a thing of beauty. It just SCREAMS "America" to me in all the best ways.

@juanmartinsalandro2991 Год назад

mi father was the lead carpenter for mac donals in early 2000 (in argentina), and the style of each building was unique. Now days, even when the brans is no longes in those locations, they keep the woodwork of him.

Год назад

I think this is also happening in automotive design. Many (not all) brands no longer have a distinctive design, just a few add on on the font grill.

@studioghiblets958 Год назад

It's funny, I've lived in Illinois my whole life and never knew the mcdonalds headquarters was located in my state and fairly close to where I live at that haha. Tho, I say that like I'm super old or something, I'm only 25, but still Also, definitely agree! The new buildings are soooo boring. I love the large windows on a lot of them and how they'll have plants inside and nice seating. Just damn, you can be inviting and have a cozy space while also being fun guys!

@jackmartin5209 Год назад

The McDonald's at 1:25 looks very similar to an Apple store. At 1:35 it looks like some tables have laptop ports. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple had an influence on McDonalds. I'd love you to do an episode on Apple stores.

@oldmonkey7720 Год назад

4:15 i love this futuristic cosmic-like design from 40s and 50s

@Hahlen Год назад

The McDonald’s in my hometown (Sitka, AK) is still one of the aluminum red-brown roof ones

@WUStLBear82 Год назад

A similar thing happened with gas stations. For decades Gulf had the enameled steel panel "icebox" station design. Sinclair had the distinctive triangular green canopy over the pumps--big stations had two projecting at an angle. It may be an advantage for everything to be a box that only needs different color trim and signage to reuse. But the old stations that have been reused by new businesses like plumbers, pest control contractors, and auto repair shops still tell you what was there before.

@kennixox262 Год назад

One famous example is the old Tramway gas station in Palm Springs that is now a visitors center/museum.

@Jordanthecool7 Год назад

The new McDonald’s is not a bad design, but it’s just that the old one was much better

@sarahwatts7152 Год назад

I'd like fun architecture to come back - even if it's just in paint colors! And while we're at it, I would like more car colors, too. Everything just keeps getting more and more drab, and it's such a bummer

@nicvmel Год назад

MCD employee here. The format of the kitchens prioritizes cramming as much as possible into as little space as possible to save on space that can be dedicated to the drive through or lobby. As a result there is little space for a wheelchair or other device so the workplace is not disability-friendly For example the ice machine is placed near the 3 machines that require ice (soda, ice coffee, and frappe area) for a quick fill-up. This sounds good on paper but it is right next to the 3rd drive through window (where they put you when you are waiting on your food), so you can easily slip if loose ice is on the ground getting to the window. "Isn't that a lawsuit waiting to happen?" You might ask. Chances are the franchise owner has something drafted up that you after accepting the job. Breakfast has a large amount of old people (men primarily), and lunch has families (women + kids), so most likely the lobby is designed with them in mind. Because MCD is such a cultural juggernaut, iconography has become less important, since going there will most likely not be your first time.

@JoeLikesTrains Год назад

There’s a McDonalds store near me thats inside a one or two hundred year house. The only thing that was changed was the inside to fit its needs, its still has its original facade

@fitybux4664 Год назад

In the "olden times", you were found as a restaurant by standing out along the street. In modern times, people already know where they're going before they even get in the car, and navigate using Google Maps. The box of a building doesn't matter, it's all about the service and food you experience once there.

@guildrich Год назад

And therein lies the problem with modern society. Everything has to be scheduled, so no more spontaneity.

@mrepix8287 Год назад

@@guildrichExactly, it is the destruction of freedom itself

@anthonydpearson Год назад

This is is great video! I’m glad you didn’t just do what most RU-vidrs do and take an extreme view of “this is bad”. Your points were very fair and balanced and, as much as I agree the modern designs are a little soulless, I totally understand better now why they are that way, and can even see some positives of it.

@odysseywrecker Год назад

It's still bad though

@AztecDread Год назад

@@odysseywrecker well their food is basically poison ☠ so who cares lol

@jarjarbinks6018 Год назад

What I find interesting about dicks, a popular burger chain in the Seattle area, is their aesthetic which I’m sure was popular in the 60’s has largely stayed the same since the burger restaurants inception. It is now an identifying form factor for the Dicks and I’d argue has become locally synonymous with their brand Dicks isn’t a sit down restaurant and isn’t a drive thru. The kitchen encompasses the entire building with large windows allowing you to watch them cook. You walk up to one of the many windows at the front and order your food at the window and then eat outside, in your car, or bring your food somewhere else entirely.

@NickCBax Год назад

Yup, I get a kick out of the fact the Queen Anne location, which was the location that had a dining room, had its dining room transformed into an area with only standing spots to dine. Dick's management is on record as having said that opening a location with a dining room is one of the things they regret, since it takes significantly more labor to keep clean.

@zero18000 Год назад

I have to say, dicks is the most over rated food ever. Born and raised Seattle area, a lot of people say how great and iconic it is. Yet every time I've tried it, I think "this is Mcdonalds from the 60's". The taste isn't anything spectacular, nothing special on the menu-I don't understand its popularity.

@NickCBax Год назад

@@zero18000 Nostalgia?

@zero18000 Год назад

@@NickCBax I think, that's all it really is but no one wants to admit it.

@JimmyDean59 Год назад

This is why Whataburger gets my respect. All their buildings have one design that is unique. They know who they are.

@mosshivenetwork117 Год назад

I find the architecture of these fast food places nice to look at, old and new.

@Nigelrathbone1 Год назад

Nothing beats the original McDs Golden Arches with the white and red tile exterior benches built into the building side.

@Freddie_Dunning-Kruger_Jr. Год назад

This reminds me of iconic food establishments in the Chicago suburbs like Johnnies Beef in Elmwood Park and Hamburger Heaven in Elmhurst. The steep triangle shape of Hot and Now burger joints in the Midwest, there was a relic left in Marshfield, WI that was just demolished for one of the boring BWW structure. I always enjoyed the Parky's Building in Forest Park too.

@SomeGuy-ds7pl Год назад

I remember when i was on a road trip last year when we were passing by some small town in north carolina i saw an old style unremodeled mcdonalds red roof and everything i was so happy that that they still exist out there it was probably the last one still in existance

@kamilar1359 Год назад

In my hometown - Sofia, there are still a couple of Macdonald's restaurants with the old, iconic, colorful design. It is always a treat to visit one of them. And it strikes the nostalgia chord much better than the new "mature" boxes.

@MADGennaro Год назад

Sofia, Bulgaria?

@alexrosales1561 Год назад

Being a kid who grew up in Chicago seeing that rock and roll McDonald’s was my favorite part of visiting the city when they changed it my brain had to double check where I was but a last the rainforest cafe cross the street was there and still looked as unique as ever but I’m not all for this new route of modernizing and taking the flavor we fell in love with about McDonald’s beyond the food

@susanjkadlec7193 Год назад

Our McDonald's here in Taos NM looks like an adobe, complete with a portal for outdoor covered dining. The only signage is at the street at the eye level of the Google Street View camera. No logo on the building. It is within the historic district.

@hulloweliyah Год назад

I feel like the same thing has happened to Pizza Hut. Those little pavilion style huts were iconic. Now they've been replaced with those generic box structures that feel so uninspired.

@ecoRfan Год назад

They’ve been replaced mainly by strip mall units

@somerandomdudeable Год назад

Pizza Hut but without the Hut

@okjeffy6581 Год назад

Most of the Pizza Huts I live near still look kind of the same.

@marcomonsorno8995 Год назад

I didn't know that, here in Italy all McDonald's (even the most recent ones) are build with the distinctive mansard roof and have pretty unique interior as well! It stands out

@MrHent1221 Год назад

I'd love to see renders and ideas of what you think may be cool designs of various fast food restaurants!

@Dwafiz Год назад

A key point of the 21st century shift is the design's modularity. Like you said, now it can be sold much more easily. This video was a great trace of the key historical design developments, though I would have loved a bit more about the interiorization of the experience. The parking lot is no longer a space of social interface like it was originally, but simply vehicle storage; now people buy, talk, and eat inside. And the food prep process is no longer put on display, and definitely not from the outside. What forces pushed this? The advent of air conditioning, etc.?

@nickmoney Год назад

This goes back to something like BEST Products or Frye's electronics stores ultimately failing. They had very unique architecture and design for stores but became less about buying anything there but experiencing each store's theme and design with more maintenance costs specific requirements to each location. The simple design can fit anywhere and is familiar to turn over customers faster with less costs in construction and engineering.

@j.mieses8139 Год назад

Great Content. I have always been fascinated with the way these restaurants have evolved over time. I started my career doing Prototypical Architecture (grocery stores) and cost and efficiency are always priority over creativity.

@callumstack2802 Год назад

I think the brand values have shifted into what it was in the 20th century. When I look at architecture from that period, I can't help but think it looks so goofy but ig that's what worked back then. The new Chicago building looks really modernized but I'd rather visit that one than the red roof one (but I'd love to visit both).

@jtecram Год назад

Slight correction: the old McDonald’s headquarters was in Oak Brook. Oak Lawn is a different suburb south of the city.

@jessicamccarthy9972 Год назад

I was just going to comment this lol. I was so confused when he said that, living in a neighboring suburb my whole life. Had to google the location to make sure I wasn’t crazy.

@c.rutherford Год назад

Taco Bell used to have cool spanish hacienda-like buildings, when they actually had a real bell and clay tile roofs. For some reason they decided that was too good for them and opted for a plain square box. White Castle restaurants also used to build actual little white castles that were pretty cool too. I remember those as a kid. But then they decided "We're living too good; let's dial back!" and so they went with a chumpier look. And Arby's restaurants used to have a big lighted Vegas-like hat that was pretty neat too. Till they opted to change to a boring little red chump version and a bland square box building instead. The bland square box seems to be a popular choice everywhere these days.

@SNoodleJuJu Год назад

Here in California, we actually have one McDonald’s (that I know of) that has the design of the one shown at 0:48. I’ve been to it, and it even has some McDonald’s history within the establishment!

@AnalogWolf Год назад

Thanks for this. Personally I find the new buildings to be depressing. It's all dark, the seats are uncomfortable, and almost every McDonald's I visit has a sign saying "maximum 30 minutes while consuming food, no loitering" regardless of whether it's an urban location or a suburban one. I always came into the restaurant but due to COVID I started using the drive through, but now that the pandemic is less of a concern I started going in again and realized I really don't find it that comfortable anymore. We just got a new Panera Bread here and surprise... it looks like every other fast food place around here.

@blinkth3dog Год назад

This is by design. Its called industrial brutalism. The government took this path with government buildings in the 60s. Its supposed to be anti-approachable.

@AnalogWolf Год назад

@@blinkth3dog well, it certainly does just that!

@planescaped Год назад

When did art deco ever go out of fashion? As far as I'm concerned, most art deco buildings still look great.

@HighNLo Год назад

When people became drones controlled by social media and adverts. Everything is about making money and art deco depletes resources rather than generating them.

@richspeckman Год назад

Great video and you are “spot on” regarding the homogenous architecture in fast food. One quick correction regarding McDonalds previous headquarters: it was in Oak Brook and not Oak Lawn. Totally enjoyed your content and just subscribed!

@GrubWarp Год назад

i disagree with your point about the interior. the modern interior is designed to NOT be welcoming to sit-in customers and incentivizes take-out or drive thru