The world's only float-through McDonalds

On a little canal off the Elbe river in Germany, sits the McBoat: the world's only paddle-through McDonalds. It seemed like the sort of thing I should investigate.

Camera operator: Richard Bielau

(you can find contact details and social links there too)

[TomScottGo]

In case anyone was wondering: a vegan burger, Kartoffel-Dippers with Heatwave sauce, and a mango-pineapple smoothie. Like I said in the video: variations on the standard are interesting!

[evan]

This is the most Tom Scott video idea I've ever seen

[napoleonibonaparte]

Imagine paddling the entire route, only to tell you that the ice cream machine broke.

[samsmith]

I absolutely loved the way you revealed it was in Hamburg at the end and then paddled swiftly away like some sort of eccentric fact magician

[TurtleMarcus]

At our local McDonalds, when it opened, they had a promotion where you'd get a discount if you came in the drive-through in a tractor. This was a stunt to convince the skeptical farmer to try McDonalds. But it descended into chaos: the drive-through infrastructure couldn't handle the sheer size of a tractor, and we ended up with 50-100 tractor clogging the traffic in the town centre. So they had to ban tractors in the drive-through.

[animarain]

- Tom, are you free to hangout?
- No, sorry, I'm flying to Germany.
- Oh, what for?
- I'm eating at McDonald's.

[Wimp_Lo_]

I was actually hoping it was a drive-through window for boats. This is still cool though.

[IcyLucario]

I love that the end segment made me realize a good amount of people probably immediately splashed river-water onto their food while paddling away.

[Godmcgod]

You can never predict what Tom's gonna do next. It's like he's trying to get the platinum trophy for life.

[zCrabOG]

The franchise manager really loves it though. His enthusiasm about it just brings a smile to your face. Even though it is McDonald's

[mchausverbot]

Hamburg actually has quite a lot of float-through locations, some with a counter right by the water. I recommend everyone coming to Hamburg checking out the Alster and Elbe rivers!

[Jarvalicious]

I actually grew up near a restaurant with a “boat-through”
There’s a radio on the end of an old dock post for you to order. Not entirely sure how they get it out to the boat, I never ordered from a boat myself, but apparently it’s very appreciated by fisherman and barge workers.

The place is called “Beaches” in Vancouver, WA

[nunyobiznez]

That's really neat, but they shouldn't have gotten rid of the float-thru speaker. Now it's really more like a dockside delivery service, that you just order online, which isn't quite the same thing.

[katherinebarber]

Rather disappointed that the menu/speaker isn't there anymore. That just makes it a slightly more elaborate curbside (that must be a nightmare of 'not fast enough' for the employee who has to deliver to it during lunch rush), not a paddle-thru.

[jimmyliljevald]

Dont miss the "McSki" the only ski thru mcdonalds in the world, in sälen, sweden. Bonus is to see Tom fall on skis as well.

[Cfb]

“People like a mix of familiarity and novelty. If everything changes, people get overwhelmed and they move on. If nothing changes, people get bored and they move on.”

Excellent observation and very well said. 👏👍

[jgr_lilli_]

The effect you talked about about something being the right amount of novelty combined with familiarity is called the MAYA threshold in design theory. The term was coined by Raymond Loewy, who is often credited as the inventor of the streamline design.

[lasbrujazz]

_"...the world's only float-through McDonald's is in Hamburg."_

Why doesn't that surprise me?

[MCRuCr]

If Tom is in Hamburg, the Miniaturwunderland will surely be next

[diegokuhh]

My biggest flex is that the ice cream machine at my local mcdonalds has never been broken when i went there