A McDonald’s restaurant has been able to reflect the community that it is literally part of in a profound manner for the Little Havana neighborhood in Miami, Florida. By bringing in local artists to paint the exterior walls and install various pieces of art on and around the structure, the Calle Ocho McDonald’s location has been able to reflect the identity of this community while also becoming a hub of activity that attracts audiences from across the area and beyond.
Reflecting the Little Havana Neighborhood
Southwest Eighth Street in Miami is also known as Calle Ocho and has become a focal point of community and culture for the surrounding Little Havana neighborhood. The street is lined with Latin-inspired restaurants, bakeries, fruit stands, cigar shops, rum bars, art galleries and music venues.
This popularity drew the attention of non-local franchises to further develop many of these establishments, which caused many to object to these businesses installing one of their locations along Calle Ocho. Members of the Little Havana Merchant Alliance objected to these sorts of companies opening up in the area, which compelled stakeholders to take a different approach.
To ensure these establishments would become part of and reflect the surrounding community, McDonald’s commissioned painter Xavier Cortada to create some original works. Tiled with mosaics by local artists Nelson and Ronald Currás, who are identical twins that fled from Cuba in 1980 to establish their art in Miami, the location reflects the community in an active way.
This connection to the community is further showcased with the proximity of it to the Calle Ocho Walk of fame and other markers that celebrate the community and efforts to reflect it. Doing so has allowed this McDonald’s location to become part of the community, rather than simply set amidst it.
Enabling Compelling and Authentic Experiences
Calle Ocho is lined with multiple murals and artworks that compel an authentic experience of the neighborhood for residents and visitors. By seeking to create a similar authentic experience, the Calle Ocho McDonald’s showcases what it can mean for such establishments to instill pride and connection for an entire community.
