Single-Arch McDonald's Are Extremely Rare, But They Do Exist

McDonald's and its double golden arches are so synonymous with the fast food chain that few consider that there was ever an alternative. However, there are McDonald's with single arches out there. No, it's not a mistake or design flaw, but these single arches are relics from McDonald's long, storied history and are quite a rare find these days. It was Richard McDonald who first developed the idea for arches for the chain. The McDonald's co-founder felt the roof of his restaurant wasn't distinguishable enough to customers, so came up with the idea to help make it stand out. 

Unlike the modern-day double arch, these early arches didn't form the McDonald's trademark "M." Instead, they featured on opposite sides of the building separate from each other. Likewise, some restaurants only had a single arch to help them stand out. It wasn't until 1968 — by then owned by former McDonald's franchise manager Ray Kroc — that the double arch was first incorporated as a logo rather than an architectural feature. The rest, as they say, is history, but several of the single arches remained at select locations. A McDonald's spokesperson told Today Food, "You can still find the original signs at a few select locations, which have become popular destinations for road-trippers and history buffs alike. We love seeing our fans celebrate our history at these nostalgic spots while also creating their own memories at McDonald's in their local communities."

The history behind McDonald's arches is complex. After the McDonald brothers decided to incorporate golden arches at their restaurants, they struggled to find an architect who would bring their vision to life. After three failed attempts to recruit architects, the brothers turned to architect Stanley Clark Meston. Meston agreed to incorporate the arches into the restaurant's design, but he simplified them in the process. 

McDonald's first incorporated the single arch design at its location in Phoenix, Arizona. From there, the arches spread and soon became a symbol of McDonald's and its lasting power. So how did the individual arches transform into the double arch that everyone knows today? Well, McDonald's fans have the head of constructions and engineering, Jim Schindler, to thank for that. In the 1960s, Schindler designed an early prototype for a McDonald's logo. He realized that if you looked at the arches at just the right angle, they resembled an "M." With the launch of McDonald's new logo — at this time an M with a slash through it to represent the building's roof — it began to phase out the arches at its restaurants. As a result, the single-arch restaurants became a rarity in the fast food landscape.

The exact number of single-arch McDonald's remaining is up for debate, but it's safe to say that there are less than 15. New Jersey 101.5 was more conservative with their estimate, citing that there were only seven remaining McDonald's with a single arch. However, according to Eat This, Not That, that number was a little higher — at 12 restaurants in 12 states. However, one restaurant has since closed, bringing that total down to just 11. 

Fortunately for those wanting to see the single arch themselves, they appear to be widely spread across the United States. In particular, single-arch restaurants can be found in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Wisconsin, Idaho, Indiana, New Jersey, Michigan, Missouri, and Texas. The 12th single-arch restaurant was in Bellville, Illinois. However, that restaurant closed in April 2023 after multiple attempts through the years to modernize it, all of which were rejected. Meanwhile, the single-arch location in Downey, California remains the oldest operating McDonald's in the United States.