'McMansion' McDonald's Restaurant Is The Most Beautiful In The World

There's a McDonald's on New York's Long Island that has been dubbed the 'McMansion' because it has been built inside a lovely old-style white house, featuring a huge double staircase, a dining veranda, and a lovely portico.

It's often known as America's 'most beautiful' McDonald's and it was only made possible by the good folks of the town of Nassau, who decided they didn't want to see the premises bulldozed to the ground to become just any McDonald's restaurant, the same as the rest.

When it first opened, the owner of the franchise said that they wanted 'to put tablecloths and little battery-operated candles on the tables on Friday and Saturday nights' - the branch has even hosted weddings in the past.

The original building has been there since 1795 and was built as a decadent farmhouse, but over the years it has had a number of purposes, including a funeral home and a number of restaurants.

In the 1900s it was left to rack and ruin for a while, but it was bought up by the McDonald's corporation in 1985, when they wanted to knock the whole thing down and build a more orthodox McDonald's on the land.

However, the citizens of the town weren't having it.

The McDonald's New York regional vice president at the time said: "When we took over this building, it was a disaster, a real eyesore,

"There were pigeons all over. We had to gut the building, take it down to the rafters."

In 1988 it was declared an historic site, and McDonald's was forced to back down. Over the following years, they threw a load of money at the project to restore the building, so long as they were allowed to have a drive-thru there.

Now, although the food is the same as any other Maccies, the surroundings are anything but.

It opened in 1991 in its current form and hasn't changed a great deal since, save for the additions of some modern features like self-service screens and electronic menu boards.

The status of the building means that certain things cannot be changed, much like listed buildings here in the UK.

It's the only McDonald's franchise in the United States to be built in a fully restored historic building.

So, if you're ever in the Long Island area and want to take a trip back in time that still comes with a box of McNuggets, you know exactly where you need to go.

Featured Image Credit: Stock Photo

Topics: Food, Interesting, Food And Drink, US News, Weird, McDonald's

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim