10 Very Classed-Up Fast-Food Locations

The inspiration for this list was the space-age re-imagining of a drive-thru Taco Bell. Food is delivered to eager customers on the ground from the elevated kitchen via a “proprietary vertical lift.” It sounds pretty cool, outside of the name being pulled straight from an LED-covered PC graphics card and the underlying motive to automate jobs.

Most Taco Bells have little-to-no natural light whatsoever, much less a scenic beachside view. This one in Pacifica, California, however, is a bit of real estate that it’s shocking Taco Bell hasn’t flipped for the cash to build three unbeautiful but highly profitable other locations.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone’s complaint about Starbucks be “too many chairs!” But if that’s you, maybe you should try this Starbucks in Kyoto. It features traditional tatami-style seating for you to enjoy your incredibly burned coffee in.

Want to class up a fast-food joint real quick? Outfit it with an unobstructed view of one of the literal Wonders of the World.

No, this isn’t a remnant of a brief period when McDonald’s was considering for a logo, instead of the golden arches, a stately bronze eagle. The McDonald’s was included in the renovation of a historical building in Portugal known as the Imperial Cafe, and includes stained glass and chandeliers. 

Want proof of how fancy this McDonald’s is? The architecture firms involved, Archange and A. Burmester, are actually happy to have their names attached to a McDonald’s.

How do you honor one of the greatest Chinese poets of all time? With a hologram inside a KFC, of course. In Chengdu, there is a KFC dedicated to the work and life of Du Fu, with his poems etched into the tabletops. It’s not every day you get to spill gravy on bits of iconic Chinese literature.

Another McDonald’s slid like a stinky, socked foot into a historical shoe is the “Denton House” McDonald's in Long Island. It was originally the farmhouse of a descendant of one of Hempstead, New York’s original founders. McDonald’s wanted the location, but locals wanted the historic building kept in place. They found a… compromise?

I know two things about Finland: 1) They get very little sunlight; and 2) they love a sauna. So it might not be too surprising that it’s the location of the world’s only Burger King and fast-food restaurant with a sauna attached to it. Richard Ayoade and Paul Rudd visited it on Ayoade's show Travel Man. And yeah, that’s pretty much the face I’d make if I got into a sauna after eating a Whopper, too.

This McDonald’s is located inside the Lindvallen ski resort in Sweden. Being that it’s in a haven of well-to-do traveller’s favorite winter sport, they obviously needed to class it up a little. I implore you to find another McDonald’s with an ice sculpture, and no, a mass of melting cubes fired out of a malfunctioning soda machine doesn’t count.

Well, to be fair, it’s also a KFC Museum. Still, a fast-food joint where there are things you’re not allowed to touch (besides the fryers) is a step above the usual. The Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum is just such a place.