Did you ever wonder what happens to McDonald’s after the golden arches go dim? Across the globe, thousands of locations have been demolished, replaced, or — stranger still — left abandoned. From a UFO-shaped McDonald’s in England to a floating restaurant known as the “McBarge,” to a frozen-in-time outpost on a remote Alaskan island, these forgotten arches reveal an eerie side of fast food history.

In this episode, we trace the rise of McDonald’s from its postwar boom to its strangest abandoned locations, exploring how nostalgia, decay, and urban legend collide in the ruins of the world’s most famous fast-food chain. What do these lost restaurants say about modern life — and why do they capture our imagination long after the fries have gone cold?