By the 1980s, McDonald’s had already become a well-established fast-food chain with a well-known menu and distinctive branding.
Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s franchise location in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955. That year, he also founded McDonald’s System, Inc., which would become the McDonald’s Corporation we know today.
By 1958, McDonald’s had sold 100 million burgers, and its restaurants had adopted a signature design style prominently featuring the chain’s iconic “golden arches.”
The 1980s were also a major period of growth for McDonald’s.
By 1989, systemwide sales had reached $17.3 billion, The Deseret News reported, citing McDonald’s. Sales outside the US grew from $900 million in 1979 to $5.3 billion in 1989.
Photos show what it was like to eat at McDonald’s in the 1980s — while some aspects of eating there have remained the same, some feel iconically ’80s.
By the 1980s, only a few McDonald’s restaurants retained the original restaurant design from the ’50s and ’60s.
Architect Stanley Meston designed the original look for McDonald’s restaurants, which featured a red-and-white color scheme. When the McDonald brothers first saw the design for their new restaurant, they were concerned that the roof was too flat.
Meston recommended adding the now-iconic golden arches to the building’s roof to create a more dimensional look.
A location in Downey, California, is the oldest still-operating restaurant featuring the original red-and-white design.
While some restaurants continued to feature the golden arches, others looked more modern.
This London restaurant, pictured in 1985, looks remarkably similar to today’s urban McDonald’s restaurants.
Some restaurants were built into eye-catching locations, like these colonial-style buildings.
With its wooden tables and benches, this outdoor courtyard bears little resemblance to most modern McDonald’s dining areas. Still, some restaurants remain in historic buildings.
This Sydney restaurant featured a large skylight and modern seating.
The first McDonald’s in Australia opened in 1971, and the number of locations in the country grew significantly throughout the 1980s. The company’s 900th location worldwide opened in Sydney in 1986.
There are still surprising, unique McDonald’s restaurants around.
By the 1980s, many of McDonald’s iconic menu items had been rolled out.
Before the 1960s, McDonald’s menu was relatively simple, featuring staples like burgers, cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes.
The chain’s first major national menu addition was the Filet-O-Fish in 1965. Three years later, McDonald’s rolled out the Big Mac nationwide, followed by the Quarter Pounder with Cheese in 1973.
The 1970s also saw the introduction of breakfast offerings such as the Egg McMuffin, as well as the debut of the Happy Meal in 1979.
Chicken McNuggets were added to menus in 1983.
Development of Chicken McNuggets began in the late 1970s, and the item was added to US menus in 1983 before expanding internationally the following year.
Initially, McNuggets were sold in pieces of six, nine, and 20, and came with a choice of four dipping sauces: honey, sweet-and-sour, hot mustard, and barbecue.
They were an immediate hit.
USA Today reported that many customers in the 1980s were looking to reduce their fat intake and were shaking up their diets by introducing more lean protein and poultry.
Employees wore striped bowling-style shirts and hats.
Today, employees often wear T-shirts that reflect the chain’s current promotions.
Celebrities like British metal band Motorhead were spotted taking photos at McDonald’s.
For McDonald’s customers in the 1980s, the restaurant was a symbol of America, a theme that translated into the chain’s advertising campaigns.
In honor of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, McDonald’s introduced the slogan “If the US wins, you win.” With every purchase, McDonald’s customers received a scratch-off ticket that revealed a certain sporting category.
The New York Times reported that if a US Olympian won gold in that category, they could exchange the ticket for a free Big Mac. A silver earned you free french fries, and a bronze medal won customers a free Coke.
Even President Ronald Reagan was photographed chowing down on a McDonald’s burger.
The Tuscaloosa News reported that customers were caught off guard when Reagan made an unplanned stop at an Alabama McDonald’s restaurant in 1984.
“The President of the United States ordered a Big Mac, a large order of fries, and sweet tea, proffered a $20 bill from his right front pant pocket, got his $17.54 in change, and looked around for a place to enjoy his meal,” a reporter on the scene later wrote in 2006.
When asked about the last time he had eaten at McDonald’s, Reagan replied that it was before he “got this job.”
“But I kind of miss it sometimes,” he continued. “I figured as long as I had the opportunity, I might as well take advantage of it and stop.”
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