McDonald's in Taupō has been featured in a new book about distinctive locations for the fast food restaurant. Photo / NZME
A new photography book showcases idiosyncratic locations, including a “ski-through” window in Sweden, a plane in New Zealand, and local menu offerings that some see as an entry point into an unfamiliar cuisine.
When in Morocco, one might visit the El Badi Palace, walk the grounds of the Koutoubia Mosque or enjoy a meal of dates and chebakia at ... McDonald’s?
For some, dining at McDonald’s has become part of the fun of travelling abroad. With distinctive locations – a “ski-through” restaurant in Sweden, a decommissioned Douglas DC-3 aircraft in New Zealand – and vastly different menus, the chain has adapted to a host of cultures, drawing in locals and tourists alike.
Across TikTok, YouTube and Reddit, travellers have marvelled at the options: poutine in Canada, jamón Ibérico sandwiches in Spain, fried chicken in Malaysia, macarons in France and McSpaghetti in the Philippines, to name a few.
Though some seasoned travellers may look down on dining at McDonald’s in Paris or Bangkok, the brand’s fans say it’s worth seeing how the chain adapts to local cultures. It has become an entry point into an unfamiliar cuisine or a way to mix the comforts of home with something new.
That’s how Gary He, a photographer based in New York City, sees it. He recently released McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches, a 420-page self-published book of photos documenting the global McDonald’s experience.
He, whose project was not authorised by McDonald’s, said it showed the vast difference between McDonald’s locations in the United States and those abroad. “McDonald’s is known for its consistency, but as you go around the world, you realise that really isn’t the case,” he said in an interview. “It goes against everything you believe or know or assume about the brand when you’re sitting in the United States.”
The book features photos he took at McDonald’s restaurants in 50 countries, showcasing local menu offerings, distinctive architecture and stunning settings.
The images speak to an experience that has increasingly piqued interest among travellers.
Christopher Sze, 35, and Stephanie Round, 36, recently sampled five different kinds of vegetarian burgers at a McDonald’s in Mumbai, including the McSpicy Paneer and the McAloo Tikki Burger, for their food and travel blog, Hungry Two Travel.
“It is very interesting just to see how McDonald’s adapts to these cultures,” Round said in an interview. “If it didn’t, people just wouldn’t go there,” she added. “You can tell they do their research.”
For McDonald’s, which has nearly 42,000 restaurants in about 100 countries, it’s an important part of its business abroad.
In a statement, McDonald’s said it was “passionate about our connection to and understanding of our communities”. While it’s possible to grab a Big Mac or french fries at any location, roughly a third of the menu items in each country are customised, incorporating local ingredients, flavours, customs and traditional dishes, the company said.
(Capitalising on that sense of novelty, a McDonald’s in Chicago has started offering a rotating selection of international menu items.)
He, 40, said he ate “tons of McDonald’s” as a child growing up with “immigrant parents who were just getting by”. He cherished the chain’s cheeseburgers and happy meals, and continued to eat there as he travelled as a working photographer.
About six years ago, while on a trip to Marrakech, Morocco, during Ramadan, he sampled the McDonald’s spin on an iftar meal, which is eaten to break the fast after sunset.
“I said, ‘This is just so different than what I would ever expect,’” he recalled, adding that it made him wonder: “What else is out there?”
After pandemic travel restrictions lifted, he began documenting the global spread of McDonald’s and photographing its more idiosyncratic locations and menu offerings.
He visited the “McSki,” at the Lindvallen ski resort in Sälen, Sweden, which provides a “ski-through” window at the base of a slope. He travelled to a location in a Japanese-style community garden in Singapore complete with ponds and footbridges. And in Taupō, New Zealand, he ate inside a decommissioned Douglas DC-3 plane.
He said he hoped his photographs “open up people’s eyes” and show that, with McDonald’s, “it is not just globalisation, there is a lot of localisation going on”.
He is hardly alone in his fanaticism.
Jaya Saxena, 38, a correspondent at Eater.com, frequented the McDonald’s below her apartment when she was studying in Rome in 2007. It was a budget-friendly option for a college student, and she said she was amazed by the pastries and beer and wine offerings. She particularly loved the Baci McFlurry, featuring a popular Italian hazelnut chocolate.
She has since visited McDonald’s locations across the globe – the ones in India are among her favourites – and always makes sure to check out what local delicacies appear in the McFlurries, like Cadbury chocolate in Ireland.
“I’m getting something that they absolutely would not have in the US,” Saxena said in an interview. “And that just sort of lights something up in your brain.”
Drew Binsky, 33, a popular travel YouTuber, has eaten at McDonald’s in more than 80 countries. He ranks locations in Rome and Porto, Portugal, among his favourites.
“A lot of time the culture takes me to McDonald’s, because people are like: ‘Have you tried our McDonald’s? It is so good,’” he said.
Not even decorated chefs are immune. Johnny Spero, 39, chef at Reverie, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington, stops at McDonald’s when he travels abroad for work, as he did recently in Brussels and Kyoto, Japan. Spero also proudly displays a copy of McAtlas at Reverie, where the tasting menu runs around US$300 ($530) per person.
“It is not something I eat regularly here,” Spero said in an interview, “but for some reason, when you’re abroad, I just want to see how different it is.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Kate Christobek
Photographs by: Gary He/McAtlas
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
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