Why this McDonald's open since the 1970s has never served a single customer

Published: 02:14, 23 April 2026 | Updated: 02:14, 23 April 2026 A McDonald's in California has been open for more than 50 years without ever serving a customer. Hungry folks who stumble upon what appears to be an ordinary McDonald's tucked away in the San Gabriel Valley's City of Industry would have to get past a 10-foot steel fence while being recorded by several security cameras, only to discover that no employees are there to take their order. That's because the restaurant isn't exactly a restaurant but instead has been used as a filming location for countless McDonald's commercials. In 1978, the McDonald's Production Center was built for $1million, giving the fast-food chain a place to film without disrupting an actual restaurant's business, according to the Los Angeles Times. Despite its appearance, the restaurant has notable differences that set it apart from your local McDonald's. The outlet noted that the ceilings are slightly higher to easily accommodate lighting fixtures, and that the downstairs is equipped with a dressing room for talent. Additionally, the trees outside are in special planters that can be moved, and the McDonald's sign itself can rotate towards any direction. Even the intimidating gates can be adjusted for filming, which the outlet said would, every now and then, result in customers rolling in and honking at the drive-thru for service. A McDonald's tucked away in the San Gabriel Valley's City of Industry in California has never served the public  It was built in 1978 for $1million, giving the fast-food chain a place to film without disrupting an actual restaurant's business (Stock Image) The mock McDonald's has been used in thousands of commercials and can still operate as functioning restaurant as it is stocked with a kitchen (Stock Image) Before the location was built, the company would have to pay a franchisee $5,000 per day in lost sales for using their restaurant to film, according to the outlet's 1988 report. In addition to the classic McDonald's a customer would visit in the suburbs, there is another building which replicates one of the company's restaurants in a city setting, according to the SF Gate. The filming site was chosen for its proximity to Hollywood and its talent and was available to movie productions for free. However, while not serving customers, the mock McDonald's is still able to operate and serve its classic fast food. There is a kitchen stocked within the facility with McDonald's equipment, such as fryers and griddles, according to Los Angeles Magazine. Linda Magruder-Briggs, who was the advertising production manager for McDonald's, told the Times in 1988: 'We could be open for business tomorrow if we wanted.' Roadside America noted that, over the years, the filming site has knocked down the model McDonald's to reflect the restaurants at the time. The worldwide food chain opened in 1940, roughly in San Bernardino, 49 miles away from the production site. According to McDonald's, it is the largest global foodservice retailer, with over 44,000 locations in more than 100 countries. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.