Israel
Right at the foot of the Dead Sea lies the lowest elevation McDonald’s in the world. The fast-food giant has 68 kosher restaurants in Israel, so you won’t find cheeseburgers and Big Macs here – but they do offer a much larger burger made with prime rib called the Entrecote Burger.
Gary He/McAtlasSaudi Arabia
The McArabia Chicken features two grilled chicken patties, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and garlic sauce inside Arabic flatbread. It resembles shawarma, but as a McDonald’s spokesperson once said, “We will never be a shawarma place. We meet the Arabic tastes, but in the McDonald’s way.”
Gary He/McAtlasSweden
McSki opened in 1996 in the village of Sälen in western Sweden and is the sole seasonal McDonald’s, only open in the winter. While there are plenty of seats for both indoor and outdoor dining (as well as ski racks), this location also has a ski-through window… the only one that exists in the world.
Gary He/McAtlasThailand
The savoury rice porridge known as congee is a breakfast staple throughout Thailand, typically served with shredded chicken. For their own spin, this McDonald’s uses chopped fried chicken instead. Congee variations also appear in China, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Gary He/McAtlasUnited States
The Filet-O-Fish stands out because it was the first truly localised menu item, launched in 1965 in Cincinnati, Ohio, for Catholics who didn’t eat beef on Fridays. Now it’s sold in most countries around the world, proof that any local item can go global. “You can already see other items, like macarons from France (now available in Qatar, Japan, Morocco, Poland, United Arab Emirates and Denmark) matriculating through the global system,” says He. “Because that’s kind of how food is evolving. Few other companies have the power to act as a conduit of cultural exchange.”
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