McDonald’s restaurants can be found in towns and cities all over the world.
They’re also found in some more unusual places, for example a a decommissioned plane in New Zealand and even inside the infamous Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
But not many of its branches float, and there’s probably a sound business reason for that, dating back nearly 40 years.
An interesting experiment took place in Vancouver in 1986, as part of Expo 86 – a World’s Fair themed around transportation and communication.
The idea was to have a floating McDonald’s restaurant, designed to showcase technologies of the future and innovations in architecture.
It was officially named the “Friendship 500” but was later dubbed the “McBarge.”
The boat was used by visitors to the event who wanted to dine on the water.
It featured a sleek, modern look with glass walls and metallic accents, representing a state-of-the-art approach to fast-food restaurant design at the time. It was very popular during the event.
However, the event only lasted between May and October of that year.
Once it finished, there was no demand or use for the “McBarge.”
It closed down but remained moored and unused for several years.
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“Ghost barge” was sold in 2015
It fell into disrepair and became known locally as the “ghost barge.”
There were numerous ideas for the empty boat, including turning it into a homeless shelter or a commercial space, but nothing ever happened.
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Eventually, it was sold and moved to Maple Ridge, British Columbia, in 2015. It was bought by Howard Meakin, who announced grand plans to turn it into a high-tech facility showcasing the newest developments in sustainable technology.
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This project was set to be called the “Deep Discovery Centre. However, this was nine years ago, and progress has been slow.
There are no real updates on the barge’s future, which continues to remain a strange piece of McDonald’s history and Expo 86’s legacy.
