A woman has shared a video on TikTok of a bizarre McDonald’s location inside a disused plane in New Zealand — which customers can even sit down inside of and eat
A woman travelling the globe claims to have found the ‘world’s coolest’ McDonald’s.
Karina Diaz, from Auckland, discovered a branch of the fast food chain in a decommissioned DC-3 plane when she was visiting Taupo, a town in the North Island, New Zealand. The abandoned plane has been repainted, and the name of the airline has been covered with ‘McDonald’s’ instead. The tail also features the restaurant chain’s iconic Golden Arches.
The keen traveller posted the video on the social media platform TikTok, where she shows the exterior of the plane before taking the viewers inside the aircraft with her. A caption on the clip reads: “You can eat your meal inside an old aeroplane!!”
The video continues to show the inside of the plane, including the original cockpit, which guests can look at from behind glass. Towards the end of the video, Karina step outside again and pans across a sign that states “world’s coolest McDonald’s”.
“The Douglas DC-3’s history begins with its construction in 1943. After serving as a passenger plane, then a top dressing plane (crop duster, for the American audience), it was decommissioned in 1984 and became a promotional feature in the parking lot of Taupō’s Aeroplane Car Company, a car dealership. When the dealership’s location was purchased in 1990 to be turned into a franchise of McDonald’s (known locally as “Maccas”), the airplane was included,” Atlas Obscura explains.
A website for visitors to Taupo named Love Taupo explains that the branch has “made it on the ’10 coolest McDonald’s around the world’ list”. The video has accumulated more than 22,000 views, with some people commenting to show their love for the quirky venue. One viewer stated: “Living your best life so happy for you – love it”.
Another used added: “Oh I have been there, it’s amazing.” Slightly closer to the UK, the Nyugati Railway Station in Budapest, Hungary, which is home to one of the most amazing McDonald’s in the world.
The restaurant originally opened in 1990 and it resides in a part of the railway station which was built in 1877, by the same company that later constructed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. The station itself is grand and respected in its own rights by visitors, while the McDonald’s has been noted for its ‘most elegant’ location by Lonely Planet.
The site reopened in September after an eight month refurbishment and since has garnered attention for its stylish yet modern look, as well as attracting throngs of visitors to its Friday and Saturday night show. Each week from 10pm to 4am on Friday and Saturday evenings, the restaurant transforms into an illuminated hall, with light projections and live DJs.
In a video that circulated on the social media platform Instagram, the full impact of the light show and buzz within McDonald’s is evident. One person commented on the video: “Wow! I wish I knew this when I went to Budapest!!” Another added, “Oh, wow, this is so cool! I would not be able to stop staring at that ceiling.”