McBarge

The McBarge, officially named the Seaborne II (formerly the Friendship 500), was a former McDonald's restaurant, built on a 187 ft[1] barge for Expo '86 in Vancouver, British Columbia.[2] Moored on Expo grounds in Vancouver's False Creek, it was the second floating McDonald's location in the world (the first being in St. Louis, Missouri), intended to showcase future technology and architecture.[2][3] Although the floating design allowed for the barge to operate in a new location following the exhibition, the derelict McBarge was anchored empty in Burrard Inlet[4] from 1991, amid industrial barges and an oil refinery,[2] until it was moved in December 2015 to Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Apart from brief use as a McDonald's restaurant in 1986, the McBarge has never actively been used for anything and was drifting from owner to owner for thirty-four years. By the end of March 2025, the McBarge had partially sunk into the Fraser River.[5][6]

History

The floating restaurant was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. for Expo 1986 and was one of five McDonald's locations on the Expo grounds, all of which were constructed for a total of $12 million.[3] McDonald's originally intended to continue using it as a restaurant after Expo '86, but the barge remained empty at the Expo grounds until 1991, when the new owner of the grounds forced McDonald's to remove it.[7] It has since been anchored derelict in Burrard Inlet, north of Burnaby, British Columbia.[4][8] In 2003, Marvel Entertainment and New Line Cinema rented the barge as a filming location for the 2004 film Blade: Trinity.[9]

See also

• List of restaurants in Vancouver