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The rising popularity of fast food is determined by its availability, menu, services, and customer reach. However, location also plays a significant role in bringing customers and driving business success. According to IBISWorld, as of 2023, there were 542,006 Global Fast Food Restaurants businesses.
While most fast-food chain restaurant locations and other branches across the world tend to be uniform in interiors and format, certain locales are noticeably distinct. Although strategic locations with easy accessibility and less competition are key to maximizing customer count, some fast food joints make their locations visually attractive to achieve heightened success.
Whether having a Big Mac in an aircraft, or enjoying Kentucky Fried Chicken in a former railway station, to sipping Starbucks coffee inside a replica of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, here are ten surprising and unusual fast food buildings from around the world.
Here are 10 exceptional fast food restaurant buildings around the world
1) McDonald’s inside a retired aircraft - Taupo, New Zealand
McDonald's in Taupo, New Zealand (Image via Getty)
McDonald’s in Taupo, New Zealand, is nestled inside an airplane. Dubbed as the world’s “coolest” McDonald’s, as per Simple Flying, the restaurant is partially located inside a retired DC-3 aircraft and features a seating area for diners.
While it became a part of the McDonald’s franchise in 1990, the plane in its heyday reportedly carried passengers and was used as a crop duster plane.
2) Starbucks featuring Persian architectural details - Dubai, UAE
Located in Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai, this Starbucks location showcases a unique design inspired by Persian architecture and its rich cultural heritage. Housed inside the Persia Court section of the themed 5.6 million square feet mall, the location allows its customers to sip their beverages with views of the dome ceiling.
Notably, this Starbucks location is also a replica of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, which features details of blue-and-turquoise mosaic walkways and brass chandeliers.
3) KFC with Soviet history exterior - Minsk, Belarus
KFC in Minsk, Belarus (Image via Getty)
Nestled beneath a 1960s Soviet mural, this KFC restaurant was reportedly the brand’s first location in Belarus, according to Atlas Obscura. Opened in 2015 in Minsk, this location features the Soviet sculpture designed in the style of Socialist Realism.
Popular across the Soviet Union at the time, the relic named “Solidarity” was created by the sculptor Anatol Yafimovich Arcimovich. Although the restaurant interior is designed similarly to other KFC locations, it is still a distinctive contrast between heroic communist times and the fried chicken shop.
4) Starbucks with a four-story experience - Tokyo, Japan
Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo (Image via Getty)
Opened in 2019, this Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo is the biggest Starbucks location in Japan. Designed in a 32,000-square-foot building, this location allows customers to experience Japanese culture and craftsmanship in coffee making.
Located in the residential district of Nakameguro, this Starbucks location is a four-story experience featuring a mix of bars, a tearoom, a cooper cask, a bakery, an origami ceiling, lounges, and more.
5) McDonald’s designed like a spaceship - New Mexico, US
Located in New Mexico, this McDonald’s fast food location is designed to look like a UFO. Shaped like a spaceship and nestled in the world-famous town of Roswell, this location takes inspiration from the city’s 1947 extraterrestrial history, where a UFO is allegedly said to have crashed on the outskirts of the city.
Opened in 2005, this restaurant location completes its UFO-like look with holographic lighting, metal details, a play area, and McDonald’s golden arches.
6) KFC resembling its bucket shape - Los Angeles, US
KFC in Koreatown (Image via Getty)
Opened in 1990, this KFC location is located in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. Featuring a distinctive exterior design, it resembles the brand’s famous buckets of fried chicken.
This fast food location is a two-story building designed by Frank Gehry’s protégé Jeffrey Daniels to reflect the business it houses.
7) Starbucks in a traditional Japanese house - Kyoto, Japan
Starbucks Opens Tatami-matted Tea-house Style Store In Historic Kyoto (Image via Getty)
Housed inside a century-old machiya, a Kyoto wooden townhouse, this Starbucks location opened its doors to customers in 2017. Featuring traditional decor, the Kyoto Starbucks Coffee Ninenzaka Yasaka Chaya is a two-story building that has tables and tatami mat seating.
This fast food restaurant location is designed in neutral beige with scrolls lining the walls and cushioned floors. It also has a traditional Japanese garden for customers to explore outside.
8) KFC housed inside a railway station - Baku, Azerbaijan
The world's largest KFC in Baku, Azerbaijan (Image via X/@kfc)
Located in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku, this KFC fast food location is the largest in the world, according to the brand. Housed within the city’s Sabunchu Station, which was built in 1926, this location also has Moorish influences with revival–style domed towers.
Serving the usual KFC menu since 2012, this fast food location also notably formed part of the Soviet Union’s first electrified railway system.
9) Burger King with a rooftop rollercoaster - Niagara Falls, Canada
Playfully known as the Burger King Roller Coaster, this Burger King restaurant is located in Hollywood Boulevard of Niagara Falls, Clifton Hill, Ontario, Canada. It is connected to a one-of-a-kind Frank’N Coaster rooftop roller coaster, which is a part of the House of Frankenstein.
Due to its proximity to the roller coaster, this fast food location also makes it a popular attraction for tourists.
10) KFC with historic significance - Berlin, Germany
KFC at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin (Image via Getty)
Located in the same building as the Checkpoint Charlie museum, according to Business Insider, this KFC location has a historic significance associated with the Cold War and the Berlin Wall. Opened in 2016, this fast food location is known for its strategic location near Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, Germany.
Notably, Checkpoint Charlie is the name given by the Western Allies to the Berlin Wall crossing during the Cold War. It represents the separation point between East Berlin and West Berlin.
Although fast food restaurants, including McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Starbucks, and more, usually attract customers with their unusual menu items, these unique fast food buildings have also proved to significantly contribute to bringing in customers from around the globe.
