Hey dude. Long time resident of the Tampa bay area. You almost got jumped in Clearwater because one of the most dangerous ghettos in America is two miles from that beach. Don't let tourist traps make you feel safe.
Fun Fact: The actor who portrayed Mac Tonight in the original commercials is Doug Jones, the actor who portrays the fish-man in The Shape of Water (and many other costume monsters)
He’s also currently the Baron on What We Do in the Shadows!! (I love Doug Jones so I’m really pleased they made him a recurring character😁) People might also know him as Billy the zombie from Hocus Pocus, as another fish humanoid Abe Sapien from Hellboy, and as the creepy labyrinth monster with eye hands in Pans Labyrinth.
I can’t tell you how surreal it is for Navarre to be your first stop considering it’s my hometown and I pass that McDonalds every day. I haven’t been inside in over a decade I think, so I loved getting this blast from the past! Thanks for visiting our little town! Please please please note that it is pronounced Navar, not Navar-ee lol 😂
A friend of mine has been working on a local "genealogy of malls", & it's weird to go to the archives & see "this new thing will be an eyesore save this older thing instead" expressed just over + over + over. Sometimes the older thing was better; sometimes the newer thing; sometimes it's a wash...but the same sentiment pops up, regardless. It's hard to strike a balance between novelty + preservation. I wonder what McDs look like in planned cities, new or old?
The one that used to be near me was hollywood movie themed. Huge statues of darth vader, storm troopers, yoda, creature from the black lagooon, frankensteins monster and a ton of old "It came from planet X!" -esque 50's horror movie posters. its gone now :(
Have one near me that used to have a huge glass case filled with old porcelain dolls, a little train the would go all around the place on a tiny track suspended from the ceiling ( the train actually went through the glass case), pictures of the McDonald's characters, pictures of balloons and colorfully painted walls, now it looks like a boring coffee shop, it's still the only one in the area that has a play area still open though I hardly ever see kids in it anymore because it's only open certain times a day to "reduce cleaning" supposedly, though people are rarely in there, most people just use the drive- thru now because there's just nothing to catch your eyes in there anymore so I question how much cleaning is actually being done,compared to when I was a kid and the place was bright, cheery & packed full of familys, now it's as I said a "boring coffee shop"
This was an excellent video. I've always been fascinated by the relationship America has with McDonalds. Some strange mix of proud nostalgia and combative pessimism. There used to be a McDonalds near me with a Railroad theme inside, complete with model trains running around the ceiling. It was torn down and rebuilt as a typical modern McD's years ago but I still think about the trains when I'm up that way.
The McDonald's in my small town used to be pretty standard Canadian MacDonald's, then they renovated it when I was in high school to make it very fancy, it had an electric fireplace and cozy seats, almost looked like a fancy coffee shop, it was cool and weird. Now they just changed it again to be a boring MacDonald's with the kiosks to order and way less indoor seating, nothing interesting inside, and a second drive thru lane :/
Hey, Billiam? I'm really glad you didn't die in that hospital. You're a delight, and everything you have in this life you deserve. Thanks for being here. Love you.
Not a McD's, but my hometown has a train station themed Burger King. The location is inside of what used to be a train station near Boston. It was built by the man who made the first skyscraper in New York and the owners have maintained the Romanesque style with some Richardsonian influence. The exterior has undergone minor changes and additions to the building, such as a drive-thru being built in the same architectural style. The interior is almost completely standardized. When my family would visit in the 1990s/2000s, the interior had a working model train set that ran around edge of the dining area. The interior appeared to be primarily timber-frame. This was removed sometime after 2009. When I last visited in 2019, the interior was standardized save for a hearth at one end of the restaurant. There is an outdoor dining area. The railway next to the BK is still active, so the entire restaurant shakes, with a deafening air horn, once or twice an hour whenever a commuter or freight train passes. Given the seating and window arrangement, customers can still watch the trains pass whether they're dining inside or outside.
I also have a themed BK, near me. Its Hollywood theme, it’s all booths, and some are shaped like Cadillacs. Also have random portraits of famous people, mostly old hollywood stars. And a statue I can only describe as, an oddly shaped terminator man with a Pompidou, eating a whopper. But no one eats inside, I’ve only done so maybe twice at a younger age. So it’s surrounded by a mainly unused,and poor maintained parking lot, next to a 8 lane highway. Don’t even think it’s handicap accessible.
the burger king in North Vernon, IN was train themed as well. mostly standard, but had several model trains running inside and on display and things like crossing lights outside and inside. probably ten years ago it was updated and all that remains is a crossing signal outside. North Vernon has/had the slogan city of railroads, despite now being at the intersection of three lines, one abandoned and the other two having only a handful of trains per week.
Columbus, Georgia has a train station themed BK as well right next to Columbus State University. Front counter used to have a little model train behind a glass window that would run back and forth along a track- that's been filled in for years now though. It has a mini-room within the dining area that is set to look like a passenger train car. Massive play place as well that had some of those game console setups when I was younger. Used to go there a ton as a kid, now it's my friends' default location for post-bible study late night munchies.
i’ve never seen a youtuber go to little havana and just parts of miami that tourists and transplants don’t spend time in it, being from and living in miami is hard and bittersweet and i just really REALLY love this. thank you for making it.
It’s always cool to see a Collab with two of my favorite RUclipsrs, hopefully one day you’ll both review something both Garfield and Scooby-Doo related together, that would be amazing!
This video starting out in Navarre (pronounced nuhv-are btw) was completely unexpected and jarring lol. Our McDonald’s was remodeled in 2017. Before the large underwater play place it has now, it had outdoor seating (along with a wooden trellis that didn’t last long) and a beach theme to the inside. Lots of large clear windows and a very relaxed feel. But they wanted to make it more modern, and thus the large enclosed play place and underwater theme!
I’m from Navarre too and originally put this on as background noise. The whiplash I got when he said Navarre was a fun surprise lol. When he focused in on the shirtless guy fishing with “Navarre community” text on the screen gave me a chuckle because it’s so true!
I was excited to see a town I've live in, in a RUclips video. But life hack when filming in a new city ask a local how they pronounce their city's name.
i love non standard fast food restaurants, i’ve never been in them but the ones in niagara falls on the canadian side have to be my favourite they really stand out among the rest of the attractions
This video has me thinking about about how my generation viewed Blockbuster Video much differently than the next. My much loved local rental store fell only a few years after Blockbuster hit my town, and I've always resented the chain for that. Yet for so many younger folks, Blockbuster conjures the same types of memories I associate with my local place. It always such a fascinating truth to consider.
Thanking for sharing that little piece of yourself, how your hometown is changing, how your health affects how you view this. It’s very reassuring to hear, that I’m not alone in my similar experiences and opinions.
Finding out Billiam is from Fort Lauderdale makes so much sense as a Miramar kid. Also my mom works at Jackson and if you needed a CT scan she probably would have done it! The world is so small sometimes. 💕
I would love to see you cover some more old Florida attractions before they’re gone e.g. Weeki Wachee, Wakulla Springs. My family has been in Florida since the 30s and it’s seen a lot of change since then.
It’s always a good day when another Billiam video comes out! I’ve never given much thought to weird niche themed McDonald’s until I remembered that there is (or was) a McDonald’s near me in NJ that is golf themed? I haven’t been there in years but the aesthetic has sticked with me cause even as a kid I was questioning why it was golf themed
I'm pretty sure I know the exact location you're talking about! I believe it closed a few years back and the space is still sitting vacant as of now. I remember my Mom taking my siblings and I there on a few different occasions. It was always surreal walking in and being greeted by the big plastic cutout of the golfer posed, ready to putt. I also remember there being a rock-and-roll and a bowling themed McDonald's, as well as a 1950s themed Burger King in some of the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, those 2 McD's locations modernized a little while back, and the Burger King closed and was recently torn down to make way for some electric car charging stations. Makes me miss the days when walking into a fast food restaurant wasn't always such a homogenized experience.
I'm from Florida, our small town mcdonalds used to have an old country saloon kind of them. Around 2010ish they changed it ☹️ I had been to the old giant mcdonalds in Orlando when I was a kid and I remember it being so magical.
The existing NASCAR location in Boca Raton that you mentioned at the end of the video has been renovated sometime last year. My friend owns the stoplight in their room because one of their friends found it in the dumpster during the renovation
A friend and I have been wanting to try and go to every McDonald's on Vancouver Island within 24 hours and this video was great inspiration on how such a video can be filmed and edited. Will we ever get around to taking on this challenge? Only time will tell
As an autistic person, megachains like McDonald's provide an essential haven of familiarity when traveling. Being able to eat consistent comfort food allows me to spend my tolerance on more fun risk taking while visiting places. Themed/nonstandard ways allows this to be more "authentic" and fun without requiring me to take the risk of going to a local restaurant
Also autistic, I like to take food risks while traveling and avoid McDonald's/other normal chain restaurants when possible. But, I do agree it's good to always have a fallback option of McDonald's
In Somerdale NJ we have a McDonalds with an original large yellow neon arch still, which is super cool. And I went to the one in Sedona, AZ where they allowed them to use blue to replace yellow. I just really miss the late 90s early 2000s vibe that catered to being a kid there. The characters, the Wacky Adventures VHS tapes, the non-modern eyesore it used to be. Thankful I got to experience it being a kid. Awesome video, Billiam. You get an A+ just for using the JRB theme perfectly.
Man I miss themed McDonald’s they were so cool. There’s still some but not as many as there used to be and even if they weren’t themed McDonald’s used to be colorful and have the play place. Awesome video this type of stuff is really cool I’ve always been interested in stuff like this every time I travel if I see a themed restaurant I always want to go see it
My dream was to travel to some of the cool and weird McDonalds in America or around the world but unfortunately some of the locations are either gone or were given a remodel. Hopefully I get to visit some of the ones that still exist one of these days. Overall this video was really fun to watch!
Its a really cool experience to watch this video as a non-american, im brazilian, raised in Rio, and since the architecture here is so different, theres hundreds of non conventional mc Donalds around! I always love to visit them. Theres a lot of boring grey default 2020 mc donalds in brazil as well, but in every historical city around the country, you can bet theres a non standard mc Donalds that was built inside a building thats on the World Heritage List, so they can’t modify the structure at all, those are always my favorite to visit. Theres plenty of them in Salvador, Bahia
There's a McDonalds out in Leavenworth, WA that blends in with the German Medieval and Renaissance gothic style architecture that the town opted to go with and I always love seeing it. I wish corporate franchise things were allowed to be more in line with the area around it instead of just the corporate mandated identity.
I'm pretty sure that's because theres like a town ordinance or something (I dunno what it would be officially called) that any business/architecture Has to comply with the general Bavarian theming of the town. I visit there at least once a year (I actually got engaged outside the Christmas store lol), and I feel like I remember hearing something like that. Still cool to see Mickey D's themed that way though 😁
@@krissywizzle yeah there’s some rules about it. I’m there once a year as well and got engaged at the park along the river lol. It’s an amazing place. May the Bavarian McDonald’s survive forever.
In the early 2000s when my dad‘s boat still worked, we would goto the boat ramp at McDonald’s and pull up with the boat all the time. It was such a novelty, and I have very fond memories of it.
I'm from Canada and the Mcdonalds near where I grew up had a railway caboose in the back of its parking lot for birthday parties. I had one of my birthdays there! There are apparently quite a few Mcdonalds in Canada that had these, if you can find one definitely visit.
What a coincidence, I just moved close by to little Havana and I literally saw that McDonalds for the first time yesterday. Thought it looked really cool, never saw anything like it before lol
There’s a McDonald’s in Tampa themed to a local water tower of all things! It has unique architecture and historical pictures and blurbs about the history of the immediate area!
I don’t live in the US but I remember as a kid that my closest McDonald’s was retro themed (neon lights zipped across the ceiling), then Olympics themed, and then eventually just a standard boring macdonalds
The playplace at the biggest McDonald's before the renovation was so cool. Before there was a Dave and Busters nearby, that McDonald's was the big arcade. There's another underwater themed playplace that was on 192 in Kissimmee, I doubt it's still there, and it's not as impressive as the others, but I went there somewhat frequently as a kid. The Downtown Disney one was always my favorite. I loved watching the happy meal boxes move around the ceiling, and the way that there were little connected dining rooms so that the noise level wouldn't always be insane.
I love how quinton is in the video. I remember him saying he’d go to all the themed McDonald’s at some point over a year ago and I was hoping that was still a possibility 🫣
One of the McDonald's here in my hometown in Malaysia still has the classic Ronald sitting on the bench statue, while the interior of the restaurant are already modernized and standardized. It always makes me feel nostalgic everytime I drive past the bench statue.
Went to the Netherlands for a beach vacation with my family and best friend once. On the way we found a McDonald's with a HUGE silver Michael Jackson statue in front of it, with lots of messages from fans. We ate there and took lots of pictures. When I googled it, I found out that the statue was removed in 2019
33:00 As somebody who grew up in Socal, I immediately recognized this area you were driving by as Long Beach Town Center! It's SO surreal seeing a place I've been to countless times and am SUPER familiar with show up in one of your videos!
The race car McDonalds that's still standing is a hometown McDonalds for me!! If I'm ever down there I'll definitely document it, it holds some great memories. As someone also from South Florida (and someone who spent a lot of time in a Miami hospital as well), it was really special to watch you documenting all of these locations. Makes me appreciate my home state a little bit more, especially now that I live elsewhere. 😊
Although I cannot recount many personal examples to give, I personally and distinctly recall a nautical themed McDonalds in Clydebank, Scotland (a place known for its shipyards) when I was very young that has unfortunately since become standardised.
The classic neon sign mcdonalds in ft lauderdale is right by the house I grew up in.... omg such a throwback i used to walk there on 59 cent cheeseburger Sundays 😭
Loved seeing the old Mcdonalds from my childhood! Though as someone from the Santa Rosa Beach area it was wild hearing Navarre pronounced like that kjsgdkjgks It would normally just be Nuh-vAAr, like "car". You made it sound so fancy. 🤣Fantastic work as always!
Aaah! I have a lot of strong feeling about weird mcdonalds as we used to trek all over the southern states as a kid. Definitely remember visiting an underwater themed Mcd's in a land locked state lol. Two of my favorites were the I44 overpass McD's in Vinita, Ok and the floating McD's in St Louis, MO. Pretty sure they're both gone now tho 😭
I live in New Mexico and the Roswell themed McDonald's is very fitting and matching of the town. We have a kinda exclusive thing to NM as well that you can get Hatch Green Chili on all your burgers here.
Probably out of the way, but if you ever travel you should really visit the mansion themed McDonald's up in Ashville here in NC. It's themed after the Biltmore estate, so it's a pretty big and fancy McDonald's
This was a great video about that really felt bittersweet. Especially the little speech at the end, non-standard Mcdonald's are cool and all, but the recent rise of visual pollution has made it a little depressing to look around and live in. A couple months ago a Mcdonald's near me was completely torn down and remodeled and it's become very boring to look at, and since I don't live in a big place, the fact that they even bothered to surprised me. In smaller areas I find that the buildings are way more colorful and vibrant and that beautiful spot in Little Havana really does go to show that these places CAN look good and show the culture of the local area instead of just sticking out like an ugly sore thumb.
I can’t believe it, something in me was awakened when I heard the OG McDonald’s rap and despite not even thinking about it in probably a decade I went bar for bar on that 😂. Billiam I love your style of content and a lot of respect for your attention to detail onto the subjects you dive into
The fact they’re getting rid of themed McDonald’s’ is a freaking crime man. That’s part of the fun. That underwater one alone is amazing. It shouldn’t be gotten rid of.
Where I grew up in NE Ohio we had a McDonald’s with a “rainforest” live bird exhibit. It was behind glass in the main dining area and every 20 minutes or so the lights would dim and it would simulate a storm, similar to Rainforest Cafe
There was a McDonald's in my hometown that had a jungle theme for its playplace. Jungle murals on the walls and big plastic trees around the play area. Everything green and leafy looking. It was really neat. I remember going there shortly after it opened for my neices birthday party and the kids loved it. It's a boring old McDonald's now. They got rid of all the themed stuff and renovated to look like every other McDonald's. Shame.
you have got to be one of the most creative and inspired content creators there is. every video is just so interesting. keep up the good stuff mr billiam
my great grandmother was a waitress at the original McDonald’s in San Bernardino, Ca. so seeing you dive into the history of these locations is super cool!!!
Reminds me of the McDonald's that was part of the beginning to a Pier in Oceanside, California since my mom used to live there years ago. But I just looked it up AND IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE! 😭
Rock and roll Runza was the coolest place in Nebraska when I was growing up (I’m 41). The waitresses used roller skates to get around inside (not outside like a car hop). It was close to Univ of Nebraska Lincoln’s memorial field where the Huskers play their football games. Now it’s just a regular runza
Wish I could like this video multiple times!! I’m originally from Miami and now live in Tallahassee. The Calle Ocho McDonald’s brings back fond memories. Who knew that your trek across Florida highlighting quirky McDonald’s would bring me so much light and joy! Thanks for your hard work ❤
I really appreciate this documentary, my dad use to make the schedules and use to be one of the managers for the Epic Mcdonalds so I genuinely enjoyed seeing it once again after so long and many of the other Mcdonalds I use to visit when I was young.
BILLIAM--A FELLOW FLORIDIAN TO ASSIST First off, I'm so depressed to see they remodeled the Latin American themed Mcdonalds--I literally lived RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD from that Mcdonalds, and it has so many memories for me. To help you on your quest to find the other NASCAR Mcdonalds (if it's still around--I may go on a required McDonalds run to check), you're going to want to go onto Okeechobee Boulevard. The outside looks like a very normal modern McDonalds, but the last time I was in there (keep in mind this was before COVID so it was not recent) they didn't have a ton of the NASCAR themeing left, but they had a racecar and a few other things. Wanted to add, on a more serious note: I'm also from Fort Lauderdale, and it hit me hard to hear you say you see the city you grew up in becoming such an unfamiliar place--I've felt that for a bit, and I don't even live in Fort Lauderdale anymore. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in that. All in all, this video not only has two of my fave RUclipsrs, but you hit all the Florida McDonalds (and some I've never been to) that I was hoping you would? This was so awesome to watch, I hope you two get to collab more!! EDIT: Sadly, it has been remodeled :( Saddest burger and fries ever.
i love you. so much for doing this. i have complex feelings about mcdonalds but this is amazing and making me feel a little emotional. archiving things is always important!! im so glad you did this
I was not having the best week, but watching this, drinking coffee, and petting my cat on a Saturday morning made everything a little bit better. Thank you. Also, those VHS bumpers with the McRap go way harder than they have any business being.
Not only is this video awesome, it came at such a great time. I lived in FL for 10 years up until 2 months ago, so watching you guys visit weird McDonald's is helping me overcome my current wave of homesickness. Thanks :) Edit: oh and holy shit, you talking about being sick in high school, taking longer to graduate, and how you couldn't keep up with life around you because of that, is so insanely therapeutic to hear another person say, as someone in a similar situation. I have struggled with feeling like I'm so far behind on everything in life lately, and knowing I'm not alone really means something. Seriously, thank you so much for making this video. I did not expect this out of a McDonald's documentary, but I ain't complaining.
I can’t believe you know Karissa!! Small world that is blowing my mind right now!! I got so excited when I saw this video because I remember you mentioning the documentary project years ago. So excited we finally get to see this, it was well done
there used to be a cool retro american car/garage themed mcdonalds in coatbridge, scotland. the bins were shaped like gas pumps, and there was a bunch of racing memorabilia. it was the only themed mcdonalds i knew of as a kid. i tried hard to find pics of it but they don't seem to exist online. sadly it changed to the standard mcdonalds look sometime around the mid to late 2000s edit: I talk to my family about this and it turns out the booths were cars with the middle cut away for the table. I didn't remember that at all
It sucks that I don't see your videos pop up as much anymore but damn man you are such a good creator. I could care less about mcdonalds, and some how you made me all the sudden care so much about it lol. I've met you before and you're a genuine dude. It sounds like you are working on even bigger projects now and I hope you go far.
I think it was a great missed opportunity for the creative team behind Spongebob not to film the human version of the Krusty Krab the Trusty Slab in the Underwater MacDonalds in the Spongebob special Spongebob's Birthday Blow Out!
One of my favorite McDonald's I used to go to as a kid was at the Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis. For a mall McDonald's is went really deep. It was 3 sections. Walking in was a seating area themed to the 60's, then the next was another seating area themed to the 70's,and the third was more seating(!) and the order counter themed to the 80's. They kept this aesthetic through the mid 90's. I doubt there is even a McDonald's in that mall anymore as it's been dying for decades.
Thanks Bright Cellars for sponsoring this video and for the limited-time offer! Take the quiz at brightcellars.com/billiam and comment your matches!
Hey dude. Long time resident of the Tampa bay area. You almost got jumped in Clearwater because one of the most dangerous ghettos in America is two miles from that beach. Don't let tourist traps make you feel safe.
thanks Billiam for spooonsering my youtube addiction
You want a real breakfast chicken biscuit? Try Wendy’s. Chicken biscuit. Thank me in the next Video 🫶
FUCK yeah can't wait to buy BOTTOM shelf wine for the price of MID shelf wine whilst it gets marketed as TOP shelf wine lmao
Fun Fact: The actor who portrayed Mac Tonight in the original commercials is Doug Jones, the actor who portrays the fish-man in The Shape of Water (and many other costume monsters)
He’s also currently the Baron on What We Do in the Shadows!! (I love Doug Jones so I’m really pleased they made him a recurring character😁)
People might also know him as Billy the zombie from Hocus Pocus, as another fish humanoid Abe Sapien from Hellboy, and as the creepy labyrinth monster with eye hands in Pans Labyrinth.
He was also the faun in Pan’s Labyrinth! I love Doug Jones what a talented, under appreciated actor!
@@lisahoshowsky4251 DOUG JONES IS THE BARON?!
@samanthalouise6542 I think he's the Pale Man too
@@scarletropegamingif you see a skinny tall guy in a lot of latex make up, it's probably Doug Jones! Unless it's Javier Botet Lopez.
I can’t tell you how surreal it is for Navarre to be your first stop considering it’s my hometown and I pass that McDonalds every day. I haven’t been inside in over a decade I think, so I loved getting this blast from the past! Thanks for visiting our little town! Please please please note that it is pronounced Navar, not Navar-ee lol 😂
was looking for this comment no one ever knows how to pronounce it🤣
I was like how the hell u gonna pronounce it like that 😂
Was just about to say this😂❤️
I live in P'cola!!! Yay! Another local Billiam watcher!
My god how he’s saying it is driving me insane
It’s sad to know the weirder McDonald’s out there were getting phased out, they history deserved to be preserved.
I agree it sucks to see how sad beige McDonald’s is now. Used to look so fun
A friend of mine has been working on a local "genealogy of malls", & it's weird to go to the archives & see "this new thing will be an eyesore save this older thing instead" expressed just over + over + over. Sometimes the older thing was better; sometimes the newer thing; sometimes it's a wash...but the same sentiment pops up, regardless. It's hard to strike a balance between novelty + preservation. I wonder what McDs look like in planned cities, new or old?
There was one in central Florida that hadn't been updated since the 1960s they finally "standardized" a few years ago. So sad.
The one that used to be near me was hollywood movie themed. Huge statues of darth vader, storm troopers, yoda, creature from the black lagooon, frankensteins monster and a ton of old "It came from planet X!" -esque 50's horror movie posters. its gone now :(
Have one near me that used to have a huge glass case filled with old porcelain dolls, a little train the would go all around the place on a tiny track suspended from the ceiling ( the train actually went through the glass case), pictures of the McDonald's characters, pictures of balloons and colorfully painted walls, now it looks like a boring coffee shop, it's still the only one in the area that has a play area still open though I hardly ever see kids in it anymore because it's only open certain times a day to "reduce cleaning" supposedly, though people are rarely in there, most people just use the drive- thru now because there's just nothing to catch your eyes in there anymore so I question how much cleaning is actually being done,compared to when I was a kid and the place was bright, cheery & packed full of familys, now it's as I said a "boring coffee shop"
This was an excellent video. I've always been fascinated by the relationship America has with McDonalds. Some strange mix of proud nostalgia and combative pessimism. There used to be a McDonalds near me with a Railroad theme inside, complete with model trains running around the ceiling. It was torn down and rebuilt as a typical modern McD's years ago but I still think about the trains when I'm up that way.
The McDonald's in my small town used to be pretty standard Canadian MacDonald's, then they renovated it when I was in high school to make it very fancy, it had an electric fireplace and cozy seats, almost looked like a fancy coffee shop, it was cool and weird. Now they just changed it again to be a boring MacDonald's with the kiosks to order and way less indoor seating, nothing interesting inside, and a second drive thru lane :/
It was awesome to meet you! Let me know if you’re ever looking for a fellow Floridian to tour more of this state’s culture lol
Good work on the video with Quinton yesterday I took all day too watch that and now I feel hung over
You’ve been killing it on the RUclips cameos recently
Excellent vibes HR + a very good Florida channel name!
Hey, Billiam?
I'm really glad you didn't die in that hospital. You're a delight, and everything you have in this life you deserve.
Thanks for being here. Love you.
Love ya Billy. I'll eat McDonald's with you while being filmed with an unflattering wide lens any time. Just give me a call.
Aye Quinton! Love your work - many thanks to you & Billiam for all your videos/exquisite distractions from everyday life 😉✌️
I think you two should cook up a buddy detective show, your differing energy levels was hilarious.
@@chrisblake4198 hahaha omgosh yesss I appreciated the ‘odd couple’ energy! A buddy cop show would be incredible 😆
@QuintonReviews if you one day come to Rome as fan I'll gladly show you around!
Straight up yeah
Not a McD's, but my hometown has a train station themed Burger King. The location is inside of what used to be a train station near Boston. It was built by the man who made the first skyscraper in New York and the owners have maintained the Romanesque style with some Richardsonian influence. The exterior has undergone minor changes and additions to the building, such as a drive-thru being built in the same architectural style.
The interior is almost completely standardized. When my family would visit in the 1990s/2000s, the interior had a working model train set that ran around edge of the dining area. The interior appeared to be primarily timber-frame. This was removed sometime after 2009. When I last visited in 2019, the interior was standardized save for a hearth at one end of the restaurant.
There is an outdoor dining area. The railway next to the BK is still active, so the entire restaurant shakes, with a deafening air horn, once or twice an hour whenever a commuter or freight train passes. Given the seating and window arrangement, customers can still watch the trains pass whether they're dining inside or outside.
I ate there once!
I also have a themed BK, near me. Its Hollywood theme, it’s all booths, and some are shaped like Cadillacs. Also have random portraits of famous people, mostly old hollywood stars. And a statue I can only describe as, an oddly shaped terminator man with a Pompidou, eating a whopper.
But no one eats inside, I’ve only done so maybe twice at a younger age. So it’s surrounded by a mainly unused,and poor maintained parking lot, next to a 8 lane highway. Don’t even think it’s handicap accessible.
the burger king in North Vernon, IN was train themed as well. mostly standard, but had several model trains running inside and on display and things like crossing lights outside and inside. probably ten years ago it was updated and all that remains is a crossing signal outside. North Vernon has/had the slogan city of railroads, despite now being at the intersection of three lines, one abandoned and the other two having only a handful of trains per week.
Columbus, Georgia has a train station themed BK as well right next to Columbus State University. Front counter used to have a little model train behind a glass window that would run back and forth along a track- that's been filled in for years now though. It has a mini-room within the dining area that is set to look like a passenger train car. Massive play place as well that had some of those game console setups when I was younger. Used to go there a ton as a kid, now it's my friends' default location for post-bible study late night munchies.
Ok, there should be new videos/documentaries about these other non-standard fast food locations ASAP!
i’ve never seen a youtuber go to little havana and just parts of miami that tourists and transplants don’t spend time in it, being from and living in miami is hard and bittersweet and i just really REALLY love this. thank you for making it.
These are so cool. Really shows how much of a kids' place McDonald's used to be.
It’s always cool to see a Collab with two of my favorite RUclipsrs, hopefully one day you’ll both review something both Garfield and Scooby-Doo related together, that would be amazing!
Billiam and Quinton reviewing the whole extended Scooby Doo shared universe.
The runtime of the video would probably be a week.
@@QueenOfDarknes5 funny you say that, quinton just uploaded a full-on work course about a tv show. unfortunately he doesn't provide pay.
This video starting out in Navarre (pronounced nuhv-are btw) was completely unexpected and jarring lol. Our McDonald’s was remodeled in 2017. Before the large underwater play place it has now, it had outdoor seating (along with a wooden trellis that didn’t last long) and a beach theme to the inside. Lots of large clear windows and a very relaxed feel. But they wanted to make it more modern, and thus the large enclosed play place and underwater theme!
Yeah, his pronunciation really through me off. I’ve lived I the area my whole life and never heard someone pronounce it that way.
I ran to the comments just to see if anyone else was bummed by the pronunciation of navarre. Im glad i wasnt alone.
didnt expect to see navarre on this list but i DEFINITELY didn't expect to see PEOPLE from navarre in the comments
crazy
I’m from Navarre too and originally put this on as background noise. The whiplash I got when he said Navarre was a fun surprise lol. When he focused in on the shirtless guy fishing with “Navarre community” text on the screen gave me a chuckle because it’s so true!
I was excited to see a town I've live in, in a RUclips video. But life hack when filming in a new city ask a local how they pronounce their city's name.
i love non standard fast food restaurants, i’ve never been in them but the ones in niagara falls on the canadian side have to be my favourite they really stand out among the rest of the attractions
I’ve been there and that Frankenstein Burger King is really cool
I feel like there's less of these types of things that are directed towards kids nowadays. In the 90s and 2000s they were everywhere.
Bruh imagine a Pokémon themed McDonald's
This video has me thinking about about how my generation viewed Blockbuster Video much differently than the next. My much loved local rental store fell only a few years after Blockbuster hit my town, and I've always resented the chain for that. Yet for so many younger folks, Blockbuster conjures the same types of memories I associate with my local place. It always such a fascinating truth to consider.
Thanking for sharing that little piece of yourself, how your hometown is changing, how your health affects how you view this. It’s very reassuring to hear, that I’m not alone in my similar experiences and opinions.
Finding out Billiam is from Fort Lauderdale makes so much sense as a Miramar kid. Also my mom works at Jackson and if you needed a CT scan she probably would have done it! The world is so small sometimes. 💕
I would love to see you cover some more old Florida attractions before they’re gone e.g. Weeki Wachee, Wakulla Springs. My family has been in Florida since the 30s and it’s seen a lot of change since then.
It’s always a good day when another Billiam video comes out! I’ve never given much thought to weird niche themed McDonald’s until I remembered that there is (or was) a McDonald’s near me in NJ that is golf themed? I haven’t been there in years but the aesthetic has sticked with me cause even as a kid I was questioning why it was golf themed
I'm pretty sure I know the exact location you're talking about! I believe it closed a few years back and the space is still sitting vacant as of now. I remember my Mom taking my siblings and I there on a few different occasions. It was always surreal walking in and being greeted by the big plastic cutout of the golfer posed, ready to putt.
I also remember there being a rock-and-roll and a bowling themed McDonald's, as well as a 1950s themed Burger King in some of the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, those 2 McD's locations modernized a little while back, and the Burger King closed and was recently torn down to make way for some electric car charging stations. Makes me miss the days when walking into a fast food restaurant wasn't always such a homogenized experience.
I'm from Florida, our small town mcdonalds used to have an old country saloon kind of them. Around 2010ish they changed it ☹️ I had been to the old giant mcdonalds in Orlando when I was a kid and I remember it being so magical.
I feel you. I live in Illinois and my small town had 1 of the first McDonald's play places. They knocked it down and changed it.
The existing NASCAR location in Boca Raton that you mentioned at the end of the video has been renovated sometime last year. My friend owns the stoplight in their room because one of their friends found it in the dumpster during the renovation
A friend and I have been wanting to try and go to every McDonald's on Vancouver Island within 24 hours and this video was great inspiration on how such a video can be filmed and edited. Will we ever get around to taking on this challenge? Only time will tell
You and Quinton have a really funny and complimentary chemistry, very fun to watch.
I will be right back to watch this after I watch the prequel "Requim for a Themed McDonald's" again ❤. Excited to finally see the final product.
Variety is not something I would normally associate with McDonald’s, so it’s fascinating to see so many unique ones in this video.
As an autistic person, megachains like McDonald's provide an essential haven of familiarity when traveling. Being able to eat consistent comfort food allows me to spend my tolerance on more fun risk taking while visiting places. Themed/nonstandard ways allows this to be more "authentic" and fun without requiring me to take the risk of going to a local restaurant
Also autistic, I like to take food risks while traveling and avoid McDonald's/other normal chain restaurants when possible. But, I do agree it's good to always have a fallback option of McDonald's
In Somerdale NJ we have a McDonalds with an original large yellow neon arch still, which is super cool. And I went to the one in Sedona, AZ where they allowed them to use blue to replace yellow. I just really miss the late 90s early 2000s vibe that catered to being a kid there. The characters, the Wacky Adventures VHS tapes, the non-modern eyesore it used to be. Thankful I got to experience it being a kid. Awesome video, Billiam. You get an A+ just for using the JRB theme perfectly.
I remember that one in somerdale!
@@JerseyDevils21 Hell yeah, I hit a lot of the bars in that area
Coming from a parent, that’s really cool of you to blur out the kids’ faces. Thanks for looking out for them, man.
Man I miss themed McDonald’s they were so cool. There’s still some but not as many as there used to be and even if they weren’t themed McDonald’s used to be colorful and have the play place. Awesome video this type of stuff is really cool I’ve always been interested in stuff like this every time I travel if I see a themed restaurant I always want to go see it
My dream was to travel to some of the cool and weird McDonalds in America or around the world but unfortunately some of the locations are either gone or were given a remodel. Hopefully I get to visit some of the ones that still exist one of these days. Overall this video was really fun to watch!
Its a really cool experience to watch this video as a non-american, im brazilian, raised in Rio, and since the architecture here is so different, theres hundreds of non conventional mc Donalds around! I always love to visit them. Theres a lot of boring grey default 2020 mc donalds in brazil as well, but in every historical city around the country, you can bet theres a non standard mc Donalds that was built inside a building thats on the World Heritage List, so they can’t modify the structure at all, those are always my favorite to visit. Theres plenty of them in Salvador, Bahia
There's a McDonalds out in Leavenworth, WA that blends in with the German Medieval and Renaissance gothic style architecture that the town opted to go with and I always love seeing it. I wish corporate franchise things were allowed to be more in line with the area around it instead of just the corporate mandated identity.
I'm pretty sure that's because theres like a town ordinance or something (I dunno what it would be officially called) that any business/architecture Has to comply with the general Bavarian theming of the town. I visit there at least once a year (I actually got engaged outside the Christmas store lol), and I feel like I remember hearing something like that. Still cool to see Mickey D's themed that way though 😁
@@krissywizzle yeah there’s some rules about it. I’m there once a year as well and got engaged at the park along the river lol. It’s an amazing place. May the Bavarian McDonald’s survive forever.
There is a similar one in Pella, Iowa in Dutch theming 😂
@@MeowloI've been there! My friend tried speaking German to some of the staff, but that failed 🌈
In the early 2000s when my dad‘s boat still worked, we would goto the boat ramp at McDonald’s and pull up with the boat all the time. It was such a novelty, and I have very fond memories of it.
I'm from Canada and the Mcdonalds near where I grew up had a railway caboose in the back of its parking lot for birthday parties. I had one of my birthdays there! There are apparently quite a few Mcdonalds in Canada that had these, if you can find one definitely visit.
There was one like that in Colorado.
What a coincidence, I just moved close by to little Havana and I literally saw that McDonalds for the first time yesterday. Thought it looked really cool, never saw anything like it before lol
There’s a McDonald’s in Tampa themed to a local water tower of all things! It has unique architecture and historical pictures and blurbs about the history of the immediate area!
So cool to see this finally happening. Max is my friends' con friend and it's been great to see his projects grow.
Quinton sent me back here - didn't realize you were hacked! Glad to see you're here, and didn't just dissappear.
I don’t live in the US but I remember as a kid that my closest McDonald’s was retro themed (neon lights zipped across the ceiling), then Olympics themed, and then eventually just a standard boring macdonalds
The playplace at the biggest McDonald's before the renovation was so cool. Before there was a Dave and Busters nearby, that McDonald's was the big arcade.
There's another underwater themed playplace that was on 192 in Kissimmee, I doubt it's still there, and it's not as impressive as the others, but I went there somewhat frequently as a kid.
The Downtown Disney one was always my favorite. I loved watching the happy meal boxes move around the ceiling, and the way that there were little connected dining rooms so that the noise level wouldn't always be insane.
I love how quinton is in the video. I remember him saying he’d go to all the themed McDonald’s at some point over a year ago and I was hoping that was still a possibility 🫣
Yeah that's cool
One of the McDonald's here in my hometown in Malaysia still has the classic Ronald sitting on the bench statue, while the interior of the restaurant are already modernized and standardized. It always makes me feel nostalgic everytime I drive past the bench statue.
Went to the Netherlands for a beach vacation with my family and best friend once. On the way we found a McDonald's with a HUGE silver Michael Jackson statue in front of it, with lots of messages from fans. We ate there and took lots of pictures. When I googled it, I found out that the statue was removed in 2019
Good.
33:00 As somebody who grew up in Socal, I immediately recognized this area you were driving by as Long Beach Town Center! It's SO surreal seeing a place I've been to countless times and am SUPER familiar with show up in one of your videos!
Loved the Quentin collab! Have you ever connected with brutalmoose? I always thought you had similar vibes
The race car McDonalds that's still standing is a hometown McDonalds for me!! If I'm ever down there I'll definitely document it, it holds some great memories. As someone also from South Florida (and someone who spent a lot of time in a Miami hospital as well), it was really special to watch you documenting all of these locations. Makes me appreciate my home state a little bit more, especially now that I live elsewhere. 😊
In Cloverdale BC there use to be a western McDonald's, it was frigging sweet.
The phrase "Rock and Roll McDonald's" sends an involuntary chill up my spine. If you know, you know.
Although I cannot recount many personal examples to give, I personally and distinctly recall a nautical themed McDonalds in Clydebank, Scotland (a place known for its shipyards) when I was very young that has unfortunately since become standardised.
The classic neon sign mcdonalds in ft lauderdale is right by the house I grew up in.... omg such a throwback i used to walk there on 59 cent cheeseburger Sundays 😭
Loved seeing the old Mcdonalds from my childhood! Though as someone from the Santa Rosa Beach area it was wild hearing Navarre pronounced like that kjsgdkjgks It would normally just be Nuh-vAAr, like "car". You made it sound so fancy. 🤣Fantastic work as always!
Mad respect for the blurring of the displaced person in the establishing shot around 26:45
Aaah! I have a lot of strong feeling about weird mcdonalds as we used to trek all over the southern states as a kid. Definitely remember visiting an underwater themed Mcd's in a land locked state lol. Two of my favorites were the I44 overpass McD's in Vinita, Ok and the floating McD's in St Louis, MO. Pretty sure they're both gone now tho 😭
The Overpass McD's is still there, to my knowledge!
I live in New Mexico and the Roswell themed McDonald's is very fitting and matching of the town. We have a kinda exclusive thing to NM as well that you can get Hatch Green Chili on all your burgers here.
We still have the snack wraps in Canada in all their original glory (they changed the recipe for a couple years but thankfully they fixed it)
This might be my favorite video of yours, I almost feel like I went on that journey with you guys. It was beautiful and I would love a part 2.
Karissa is one of my favorite creators she's always trying so many new things she inspires me!
just finished Quinton's 6 hour vid and so this was a natural chaser
Probably out of the way, but if you ever travel you should really visit the mansion themed McDonald's up in Ashville here in NC. It's themed after the Biltmore estate, so it's a pretty big and fancy McDonald's
Aw what?! I've been to Asheville (love it) but I didn't know about that?! I hope I get to go back
@kylamckenna6657 yeah, it's close by the entrance to the main grounds on the way into the antler village
I was so pumped for this video Billiam. You’re doing the lords work showcasing all the McDonald’s around florida!
This was a great video about that really felt bittersweet. Especially the little speech at the end, non-standard Mcdonald's are cool and all, but the recent rise of visual pollution has made it a little depressing to look around and live in. A couple months ago a Mcdonald's near me was completely torn down and remodeled and it's become very boring to look at, and since I don't live in a big place, the fact that they even bothered to surprised me. In smaller areas I find that the buildings are way more colorful and vibrant and that beautiful spot in Little Havana really does go to show that these places CAN look good and show the culture of the local area instead of just sticking out like an ugly sore thumb.
I can’t believe it, something in me was awakened when I heard the OG McDonald’s rap and despite not even thinking about it in probably a decade I went bar for bar on that 😂. Billiam I love your style of content and a lot of respect for your attention to detail onto the subjects you dive into
Eyyyyy Quinton and Billiam gotta love it!!!
two of my favorites, meeting together less than a mile from my house in Orlando, I love it
You have to go to locations outside the state! This video was great and I loved every second!
The fact they’re getting rid of themed McDonald’s’ is a freaking crime man. That’s part of the fun. That underwater one alone is amazing. It shouldn’t be gotten rid of.
I love when RUclipsrs go in my habitat of Florida. Never fails to adventure out and find some weird shit
Where I grew up in NE Ohio we had a McDonald’s with a “rainforest” live bird exhibit. It was behind glass in the main dining area and every 20 minutes or so the lights would dim and it would simulate a storm, similar to Rainforest Cafe
There was a McDonald's in my hometown that had a jungle theme for its playplace. Jungle murals on the walls and big plastic trees around the play area. Everything green and leafy looking. It was really neat. I remember going there shortly after it opened for my neices birthday party and the kids loved it. It's a boring old McDonald's now. They got rid of all the themed stuff and renovated to look like every other McDonald's. Shame.
Growing up in Orlando all of these mcds were my childhood, great seeing u appreciate it all :p
Did you ever see the space shuttle one?
@@simplesimply3753 no but the bike themed one and the biggest one in Orlando were staples for me as a kid (:
you have got to be one of the most creative and inspired content creators there is. every video is just so interesting. keep up the good stuff mr billiam
my great grandmother was a waitress at the original McDonald’s in San Bernardino, Ca. so seeing you dive into the history of these locations is super cool!!!
Reminds me of the McDonald's that was part of the beginning to a Pier in Oceanside, California since my mom used to live there years ago. But I just looked it up AND IT'S NOT THERE ANYMORE! 😭
Rock and roll Runza was the coolest place in Nebraska when I was growing up (I’m 41). The waitresses used roller skates to get around inside (not outside like a car hop). It was close to Univ of Nebraska Lincoln’s memorial field where the Huskers play their football games. Now it’s just a regular runza
I have a few of these themed michael D’s by me. There’s a safari, 50s diner and space exploration themed spot. The latter is pretty big too.
5:36 omg i’ve been here and vividly remember the playplace and floating marine culture from my childhood so fondly
This guy is literally living Quinton Reviews‘ dream
Edit: Ok, he actually meets Quinton in the video, did not expect that.
Wish I could like this video multiple times!! I’m originally from Miami and now live in Tallahassee. The Calle Ocho McDonald’s brings back fond memories. Who knew that your trek across Florida highlighting quirky McDonald’s would bring me so much light and joy! Thanks for your hard work ❤
love to see fellow Floridians appreciate the video!
Amazing video! As someone from Florida, it was nice to see some of the places I’ve been to on your video.
Also, Nevarre is pronounced like “Nevar” 😂
I really appreciate this documentary, my dad use to make the schedules and use to be one of the managers for the Epic Mcdonalds so I genuinely enjoyed seeing it once again after so long and many of the other Mcdonalds I use to visit when I was young.
BILLIAM--A FELLOW FLORIDIAN TO ASSIST
First off, I'm so depressed to see they remodeled the Latin American themed Mcdonalds--I literally lived RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD from that Mcdonalds, and it has so many memories for me. To help you on your quest to find the other NASCAR Mcdonalds (if it's still around--I may go on a required McDonalds run to check), you're going to want to go onto Okeechobee Boulevard. The outside looks like a very normal modern McDonalds, but the last time I was in there (keep in mind this was before COVID so it was not recent) they didn't have a ton of the NASCAR themeing left, but they had a racecar and a few other things.
Wanted to add, on a more serious note: I'm also from Fort Lauderdale, and it hit me hard to hear you say you see the city you grew up in becoming such an unfamiliar place--I've felt that for a bit, and I don't even live in Fort Lauderdale anymore. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in that.
All in all, this video not only has two of my fave RUclipsrs, but you hit all the Florida McDonalds (and some I've never been to) that I was hoping you would? This was so awesome to watch, I hope you two get to collab more!!
EDIT: Sadly, it has been remodeled :( Saddest burger and fries ever.
I'm from Ft. Drum right near Okeechobee, I never heard of Okeechobee Boulevard, where's that at?
@@hippyjoe it's a road off 95 in West Palm Beach, so south of the actual lake Okeechobee.
The production value of that psychedelic intro montage... holy crap. This channel is moving up to another level
i love you. so much for doing this. i have complex feelings about mcdonalds but this is amazing and making me feel a little emotional. archiving things is always important!! im so glad you did this
Seeing some locations i know from childhood made me really emotional. Thanks Billiam 💛
I was not having the best week, but watching this, drinking coffee, and petting my cat on a Saturday morning made everything a little bit better. Thank you.
Also, those VHS bumpers with the McRap go way harder than they have any business being.
Not only is this video awesome, it came at such a great time. I lived in FL for 10 years up until 2 months ago, so watching you guys visit weird McDonald's is helping me overcome my current wave of homesickness. Thanks :)
Edit: oh and holy shit, you talking about being sick in high school, taking longer to graduate, and how you couldn't keep up with life around you because of that, is so insanely therapeutic to hear another person say, as someone in a similar situation. I have struggled with feeling like I'm so far behind on everything in life lately, and knowing I'm not alone really means something. Seriously, thank you so much for making this video. I did not expect this out of a McDonald's documentary, but I ain't complaining.
I live in Fort Walton Beach that’s next to Navarre. It’s pronounced Nah-Varr, not Nah-Varee. I laughed 😂
I can’t believe you know Karissa!! Small world that is blowing my mind right now!! I got so excited when I saw this video because I remember you mentioning the documentary project years ago. So excited we finally get to see this, it was well done
As an Alabama resident who wouldn't mind a road trip, I too wish to see The Little Mermaid presents "Burgers"
Ok! New recommendation!!!! “Childhood’s End” You are going to love it!
there used to be a cool retro american car/garage themed mcdonalds in coatbridge, scotland. the bins were shaped like gas pumps, and there was a bunch of racing memorabilia. it was the only themed mcdonalds i knew of as a kid. i tried hard to find pics of it but they don't seem to exist online. sadly it changed to the standard mcdonalds look sometime around the mid to late 2000s
edit: I talk to my family about this and it turns out the booths were cars with the middle cut away for the table. I didn't remember that at all
0:16 AZ also used to have one near the old paradise valley mall that was all dinosaurs themed but unfortunately was updated into a generic location.
Imagine dying and someone builds a mcdonalds on top of you
I remember going to Newfoundland for a competition and getting McLobster which was super fun
There’s a balance between the weird theme McDonald’s in Florida and the half-baked local photos and swag that decorate Applebees’ interiors.
Don't you mean TGI Friday's?
It sucks that I don't see your videos pop up as much anymore but damn man you are such a good creator. I could care less about mcdonalds, and some how you made me all the sudden care so much about it lol. I've met you before and you're a genuine dude. It sounds like you are working on even bigger projects now and I hope you go far.
I think it was a great missed opportunity for the creative team behind Spongebob not to film the human version of the Krusty Krab the Trusty Slab in the Underwater MacDonalds in the Spongebob special Spongebob's Birthday Blow Out!
Oh wow! I haven't heard that mcdonalds wrap in Years. That was a major nostalgia bomb
*_Fun Fact: Our McDonald’s in Cincinnati is actually heroin/fentanyl themed. Guaranteed to spot someone shooting up in the bathrooms!_*
😂😂😂 I just choked on my dinner reading this, I laughed so hard😂😂😂
One of my favorite McDonald's I used to go to as a kid was at the Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis. For a mall McDonald's is went really deep. It was 3 sections. Walking in was a seating area themed to the 60's, then the next was another seating area themed to the 70's,and the third was more seating(!) and the order counter themed to the 80's. They kept this aesthetic through the mid 90's. I doubt there is even a McDonald's in that mall anymore as it's been dying for decades.