However, this is not the case in Sedona, Arizona. One of the most notable things about this town is the McDonald’s located within the municipal borders don’t have yellow arches. Instead, they’re turquoise.
The reason for this is because of Sedona’s claim to fame: its incredible natural scenery. The red rock adorning the area is so gorgeous that the town passed building laws restricting what can and can’t be built. Namely, no structure may distort the natural scenery too much. The first McDonald’s location built there, back in 1993, had town officials debating over whether the yellow “M” would clash with the natural red. In the end, they chose a soft bluish-green.
According to Nicholas Gioello, who is the development services manager for Sedona’s Community Development Department, “We want everything to blend into the natural surroundings, which includes mostly earth tones. The view is really why people come to Sedona.”
The reason for this particular color is around the same time that Sedona was getting a McDonalds, other stores in the vicinity had adopted similar colors. It only made sense for the McDonalds to take on the color.
Although the reason for changing the color was to preserve the town of Sedona’s natural tourist attraction, the blue arches have become attractions of their own for burger fans everywhere. Indeed, although you might miss it or not understand what it is just driving through town, once you realize it’s a McDonald’s there’s no way you’d miss out on visiting this location.