Try Not To Look So Disappointed...It Isn't What You Hoped For, Is It?
We were looking for somewhere to eat on the Will Rogers Turnpike (Interstate 44 east of Tulsa, Oklahoma) and arrived at a building that looked vaguely familiar. This is a McDonalds, suspended over the tollway, that stretches from one end of the freeway to the other. (Again, pictures must wait.)
Billing itself as the World's Largest McDonalds, this McDonalds' in Vinita, Oklahoma can claim that distinction...if you measure in terms of square feet. If you measure it in terms of seats, there are McDonald's in other countries that have a better claim. If you measure in terms of numbers of burgers sold, Barstow Station outdwarfs Vinita by a long shot.
And why does this tourist attraction not take traveler's checks?
Turns out that I'm not the only one that was disappointed (this is from Roadside America):
It's another fleeting claim to fame that still lingers along many a highway -- the World's Largest McDonald's. The one in Vinita, also known as the "Glasshouse," was documented as "largest" in square feet only -- and some of that was leased out to other stores. After seeing the giant golden arch hanging over the highway as we approached, the Vinita restaurant was a disappointment. A bunch of the interior was just dead space, not ordering or seating areas. The order area was the same size as the local mall outlet.
There was a well stocked gift store with souvenirs -- nice t-shirt -- and several display cases of vintage McDonald's collectible items, but yawn. Even a golden opportunity to vent compressed grilled meat smells down onto passing vehicles seems to have been missed.
Here's what Legends of America has to say:
Spanning the Will Rogers Turnpike, I-44, near Vinita, Oklahoma is this 29,135 square foot McDonald’s restaurant. Seating some 300 hungry hamburger enthusiasts, it was once touted as the largest McDonalds in the world.
Later another “World’s Largest McDonald’s” was acclaimed to be in Moscow, Russia. But now, the true leader is in Orlando, Florida, in a building decorated to look like a large bag of French fries.
But this McDonald’s spanning over the interstate is still an interesting photograph opportunity, if not still the “World’s Largest.” With a highway exit on each side and a golden arch on the facade, visitors can take a view in a window seat to watch the nation roar by mere inches below.
However, McDonald’s didn’t build this restaurant. In the 1960s it was known as the Glass House Restaurant, when Howard Johnson's was the “flavor of the decade” rather than McDonald’s, and life was a little slower.
While it still touts itself as the World’s Largest McDonald’s, and square footage wise, it is large, the McDonald’s portion of the building is about the same size as what you would find in any shopping mall. The rest of the area is taken over by tourist information, a gift shop, seating areas, and other retail centers.
At least I wasn't the one taking pictures of the urinals. I've seen better bathroom designs elsewhere.
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