What It Means if You See a McDonald’s With Black Arches Instead of Yellow?

Oh, you thought all McDonald's arches were golden?

The McDonald's logo is right up there with Nike and Target in terms of being instantly recognizable. In fact, you don't even need to see the business name to know what it is.

A pair of golden arches lets a hungry traveler or a fast food aficionado know exactly what to expect since the menu is fairly identical at nearly every McDonald's

Oddly enough, however, not all arches are the same.

Why Some McDonald's Have Arches That Aren't Yellow

If you've never seen a McDonald's with arches that are a color besides yellow, you're likely not alone.

Non-golden arches are fairly rare. There are only seven McDonald's restaurants in the world that use a color other than yellow on their signs.

The reason behind the different colors of arches varies by location. In Sedona, Arizona, for example, there is a McDonald's with turquoise arches. The color scheme was an attempt by the city and the restaurant's owner to match surrounding buildings in this picturesque part of Arizona.

READ MORE: What It Means If You See A McDonald's With Turquoise Arches Instead Of Yellow

Then there's McDonald's restaurants like the ones in New Hyde Park, New York and Freeport, Maine that are housed in colonial-style buildings with no golden arches in sight. The 18th-century mansion McDonald's in New Hyde Park even has a grand staircase.

Where Is The McDonald's With Black Arches?

The location alone sets the McDonald's along Del Monte Avenue in Monterey, California apart from most locations. The restaurant is situated within a few steps from the beach and Monterey Bay.

Unless you're looking for it, you might not even notice the building is a McDonald's. It doesn't really look like any fast food restaurant from the outside thanks to it's black, light brown and white color scheme.

Not only are parts of the building's exterior black, but so are the famous McDonald's arches.

The Monterey Herald reported the black arches were part of a compromise with the city, which isn't keen on having yellow on it's buildings. Considering the beautiful landscape in this part of California, the city is likely right on this one.

Oddly enough, which the building doesn't have golden arches, they can still be found on a sign in the restaurant's parking lot.

While it may be the only one with black arches, the Monterey location is far from the only unique McDonald's in California.

A McDonald's in Downey, California is believed to the be world's oldest still in operation after first opening in 1953, just five years after the company was founded. The outside of the restaurant has a retro vibe including a sign featuring a character named Chef Speedee that welcomes guests.