This may earn me a Big Mac thrown in my face, but you have to give McDonald’s credit for cool design.  The tired cookie cutter design with sloped roofs has long been passé along with the bland menu.  Whatever you may think about McDonald’s menu makeover, more of its restaurants are now chic--compared to the institutional Barbie plastic that in the past made McDonald’s more of a burger prison than a place to hang out.

Franchisees may balk at the cost of the makeover, and Mickey D’s must do more to convince dubious customers that is menu is more family and artery friendly, at least the outlets have more personality.  From Hacienda Heights, California (pictured above, click to expand) to Belgrade, Serbia (below), the Golden Arches are not a bad place to spend a few minutes to duck the rain or use the loo--or the Wi-Fi.  The interiors even match the salads (if you want a healthful meal, do not go overboard on the dressing!).

McDonald's, Downtown Belgrade

McDonald's, Downtown Belgrade

About The Author

Leon Kaye

Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com. Based in California, he is a business writer and consultant. His work is has also appeared on Triple Pundit , The Guardian's Sustainable Business site and has appeared on Inhabitat and Earth911. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. He's pictured here in Qatar, one of the Middle East countries in which he takes a keen interest because of its transformation into a post-oil economy. Other areas of interest include sustainable development in The Balkans, Brazil and Korea. He was a new media journalism fellow at the International Reporting Project, for which he covered child survival in India during February 2013. Contact him at leon@greengopost.com. You can also reach out via Twitter (@LeonKaye) and Instagram (GreenGoPost). As of October 2013, he now lives and works in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.