If you’re driving through the wide-open desert around Sedona, Arizona, the landscape does most of the talking. The red rock formations tower over everything, the light shifts every hour, and the whole place hums with an atmosphere people often describe as spiritual. Sedona looks and feels nothing like the rest of the country, and that’s by design. The city protects its environment with ironclad building rules, pushing back against anything that might cheapen the scenery. And because of those rules, Sedona ended up with something no other place in the world has: a McDonald’s with turquoise arches.
Everyone knows the golden arches. They’re a global symbol — bright, loud, unmistakable. You can land in a foreign airport, step outside, and spot that yellow “M” from half a mile away. It’s one of the most aggressively recognizable logos ever created. But in Sedona, none of that mattered. When McDonald’s planned its new location back in 1993, the city took one look at the usual golden sign and shut that idea down immediately. Against Sedona’s signature red cliffs and desert hues, the gold would stick out like a warning light. City officials weren’t willing to let any commercial branding disrupt their view…
