McGone but not forgotten: A look back at the Vancouver McBarge | Daily Hive

City of Vancouver Archives | COV-S477-3-F111-: CVA 775-62.18

A once iconic part of the city’s history, the Vancouver McBarge recently had a Titanic moment, so we’re looking back in its memory.

To get the fresh news out of the way, last week, Daily Hive Urbanized reported that the McBarge was sinking into the Fraser River.

We have since learned Transport Canada is on the case, determining the next steps for the vessel’s recovery.

When the English Bay Barge washed ashore, many people referenced the McBarge, hoping we’d see a second coming. What made the McBarge such a notable monument for Vancouver residents? Was it just a glorified floating McDonald’s?

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While its last days were spent in Maple Ridge, the McBarge was initially located in Vancouver’s False Creek. It was a McDonald’s Restaurant built on a 187-foot-long barge specifically built for Expo ’86.

Serving as a restaurant in 1986 was the barge’s only claim to fame. A potential resurrection was planned for the 2020s, but it never actually came to light.

The McBarge and Expo ’86 in Vancouver

Where’s McBarge? (City of Vancouver Archives | COV-S477-3-F111-: CVA 775-62.13)

McDonald’s restaurant at McBarge during Expo ’86. (City of Vancouver Archives)

What we all know as the McBarge was officially called the Friendship 500.

According to Canadian History Ehx, the McBarge was one of five McDonald’s restaurants on expo grounds.

It adds that the restaurant was MASSIVE and saw around 12,000 customers a day!

“Friendship 500 cost $12 million to build and was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. It had two decks, with indoor and outdoor seating. Everything was designed to look elegant, including art pieces on the wall. At any one time, the restaurant could host 1,400 people.”

McBarge past exterior during Expo ’86. (New McBarge campaign)

McBarge past exterior during Expo ’86. (New McBarge campaign)

Following Expo ’86, plans to keep the restaurant open fell through. The original plan was for the floating McDonald’s to move to different locations as a bit of a touring advertisement for the restaurant chain.

That never transpired, and it sat empty for the next five years.

“In 1991, the new owner of the grounds forced McDonald’s to move the barge to a new location. The company took McBarge and moved it to Burrard Inlet, where it was to sit for the next few decades. It was stripped of its interior and most of its copper,” Canadian History Ehx says.

During Expo 86, McDonald’s constructed Friendship 500. It was a restaurant that floated in False Creek.
It was supposed to operate at a new location after Expo but instead it sat empty in Burrard Inlet for years….and years….
This is the story of the McBarge!

🧵1/12 pic.twitter.com/FSEur29nJK

— Craig Baird – Canadian History Ehx (@CraigBaird) February 6, 2025

McBarge past interior during Expo ’86 (New McBarge campaign)

What’s next for the floating McD’s?

The vessel’s eventual neglect actually made it into a prime filming spot for a notable vampire movie.

“In 2003, due to the decaying look of the McBarge, it was used as the lair of the Nightstalkers in the movie Blade: Trinity,” Canadian History Ehx says.

In 2020, there were plans to turn the McBarge into a seafood restaurant, but that didn’t come to fruition. In 2021, an online documentary filmmaker visited the McBarge and connected with the vessel’s owner at the time, a developer named Howard Meakin.

Transport Canada is working on the next steps for the vessel, but so far, the agency’s attempts to contact the barge’s owner have been unsuccessful.

“As for what a recovery may involve, each vessel is assessed on a case-by-case basis based on condition, environmental risk, and compliance,” said the agency.

According to the Federal Vessel Registration Query System, Seaborne II is registered under Sturgeon’s Developments (GP) Ltd., based in Vancouver.

With files from Simran Singh