Did you know there was once a McDonald’s that floated on the Mississippi River?
The world’s first floating McDonald’s opened on the banks of the Mississippi River at St. Louis in 1980. From 1980 until 2000 you could buy a Big Mac and fries on a barge built to look like a 19th century riverboat moored just south of the Gateway Arch.
The restaurant chain originally wanted to open a location in the museum under the Gateway Arch. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the government said that they were not interested in making the space available to a private business.
McDonald’s real estate manager had the idea of putting the restaurant on a riverboat. They faced some opposition from St. Louis Aldermen. They feared the location would compete with or exploit the nearby national monument. The boat ended up generating $100,000 in tax revenue annually.
