The world’s biggest fast food empire has changed a lot since its inception in San Bernardino, California in 1940. By the 1980s, McDonald’s boasted hundreds of locations across the globe and had become renowned for its tasty, affordable and convenient burgers, fries and shakes. From zany mascots and store openings to iconic menu launches, take a trip down memory lane and discover what it was really like to dine at McDonald’s during the 1980s, thanks to these incredible vintage images.
Click or scroll through our gallery for a taste of what McDonald’s looked like in the 1980s.
While McDonald’s has been famed for its Golden Arches since 1969, the chain’s signage has gone through several transformations over the years. During the early 1980s, you’d likely find a few different sign styles across the USA, including those featuring a friendly chef mascot named Speedee, pictured here at a branch in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The mascot sported chef whites and a winking face, and he appeared alongside bold typography spelling out ‘Hamburgers’ and a blue and yellow ‘M’ sign.
This 1985 photograph of an outlet in Downey, California depicts a different sign style, complete with a giant golden arch. Further details included red and white lettering for the McDonald’s name, as well as the brand’s catchphrase at the time: ‘Your Kind of Place’. The statement ‘Hamburgers – we have sold 500 million’ highlighted the chain’s popularity across the USA and beyond.
By the late 1980s, McDonald’s had started experimenting with a ‘less is more’ approach to branding. Many of its sign designs had been stripped back, like this one pictured, although they still highlighted the global popularity of the brand’s offering. McDonald’s was now an international franchise – and passersby could recognise the chain’s buildings instantly, thanks to the bright, increasingly iconic Golden Arches.
The first McDonald’s restaurant to open outside of California was in Des Plaines, Illinois, and it became a popular spot with locals and tourists alike – that is, until it was demolished in 1984. Realising how culturally significant the location was, a replica was built in 1985 and opened as the McDonald’s Museum (pictured). It featured all of the original details, including red and white tiles and Speedee the mascot holding a 15c sign over the Golden Arches. The museum has since closed.
Alongside eye-catching signage that could be recognised from a distance, many of the original American McDonald’s outlets had a distinctive look. This often included bright yellow arches on either side of the building, red and white striped walls and, of course, McDonald’s lettering above the entrance. Pictured here is a branch in Birmingham, Alabama in 1980.
While all McDonald’s across the US had a distinct look, no two branches were quite the same. Different outlets boasted alternate designs, as shown in this photograph of a McDonald’s in Compton, California in 1981. Though the building's red and white striped walls are consistent with other McDonald's branches at the time, the usual yellow arches are swapped out for a deep red version. The spot also features a different sign out front, too.
Even though this photograph is in black and white, it’s easy to spot the similarities between McDonald’s branches thanks to the striped walls, arches and prominent McDonald’s logo. Another key McDonald’s feature from the 1980s was outdoor seating; diners were able to order from the entrance, wait for their meal and sit out front as they tucked into their burgers and fries, as shown in this shot taken at the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania location in 1985.
The first McDonald’s drive-thru opened in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and by the 1980s, hundreds of locations boasting this handy ordering option were popping up across the USA and Canada. They operated in a similar fashion to the way they do today, with cars lining up around the building and orders being placed through a window box.
Not all McDonald’s branches were elaborately decorated, especially in Europe, where the chain tended to open restaurants in bigger towns and cities. Taken in 1980, this photograph shows a London, England outlet tucked away on a street in the city’s popular West End neighbourhood. Rather than being housed in standalone buildings, these high street–friendly McDonald’s branches were slotted in alongside other stores and restaurants. They still boasted the chain’s distinctive yellow logo, though.
Following the brand’s rapid global growth in the 1970s, McDonald’s branches continued to open across the world – and the fast food giant had to get savvy with its locations. Not every restaurant could be built from scratch, so in towns and cities, many McDonald’s were opened in already established restaurant-heavy areas. This photograph from 1985 shows a popular branch in Munich, Germany with outdoor seating and branded parasols.
Some bigger branches had enough outdoor space to allow fast food fans to enjoy their meals alfresco. This photograph shows a pretty, country inn–style McDonald’s building with a quaint courtyard filled with happy diners, picnic benches and specially designed raised plant beds.
As if the pull of fast food wasn’t enough to win children over, some bigger locations also utilised their outdoor space by building play areas, like this one in Lynchburg. Virginia. These would be packed out with swirling slides, miniature carousels and McDonaldland characters. A few outlets had play areas on the inside, too.
Since its inception, McDonald’s has always been a place for youngsters, families and friends to hang out, catch up and enjoy tasty fast food in a relaxed setting – and over 80 years later, that phenomenon is still at play today. Here, four young people are pictured standing outside a McDonald’s branch in 1980.
Though McDonald's exteriors differed from location to location in the 1980s, all order stations followed a similar format. Diners could expect to line up at the counter, order their food from one of the uniformed staff, then wait at the side until their items were ready. With hundreds of orders processed daily, McDonald’s preparation areas had to be designed to pump out food from morning through to night. This photo depicts a busy breakfast rush at a branch in London, England, with multiple kitchen and front-of-house staff getting meals ready.
In the late 1980s, McDonald’s changed its approach to food and packaging waste. In some US locations, the brand trialled new garbage disposal methods and introduced recycling bins, allowing customers to separate polystyrene foam and other plastic packaging from those covered in sauce and grease. This photograph shows a woman trying out the new recycling bins in a restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The menu largely stayed the same from location to location throughout the 1980s, with highlights including the Big Mac, classic hamburger and cheeseburger, Filet-o-Fish and the brand’s signature stick-thin French fries. This photo shows a branch in Paris, France in 1980. Above the counter, the menu is on display, featuring McDonald’s latest releases and staple items. In the background, you can see kitchen staff busily preparing meals.
In some branches, you’d find McDonald’s workers writing down customer orders on a checklist similar to the one pictured. Popular in the 1970s and 1980s, these lists featured checkboxes for menu classics like hamburgers and cheeseburgers, as well as soft and hot drinks. Staff could tick the items ordered, add up the total cost and pass the checklist back to the kitchen team to speed up the ordering process.
It’s hard to imagine a time when Chicken McNuggets didn’t feature on McDonald's menu, but these delicious bite-size morsels only landed at US branches of McDonald’s in 1983. They were an instant hit and were initially accompanied by four sauces: Honey, Sweet and Sour, Hot Mustard and Barbecue. It wasn’t long until McNuggets went international, launching in Germany, France and Canada in 1984, and in England the following year. Catchy TV advert campaigns and combo deals helped to create hype among fast food fans.
Still popular today, value deals and coupons have been a big part of McDonald’s personality for years. In the 1980s, you could cut out and collect coupons from newspapers and magazines, then head to your local branch to redeem the free items. This photograph shows a sheet of coupons valid from 1 January to 30 June 1983; diners could get everything from McDonaldland Cookies to an apple pie for free with certain purchases.
McDonald’s took over the world at what felt like lightning speed, offering diners around the globe the chance to taste American-style fast food. These international locations may not have been identical in appearance, but the essence of each branch was always the same, with universal markers enabling fans to experience that familiar McDonald's atmosphere wherever they happened to be. This photograph was taken in 1988 at a branch in Tokyo, Japan, and it clearly shows key McDonald’s cornerstone features, including menus above the counters, uniformed staff and a kitchen behind the service station.
Here, a Japanese A-board from 1988 is shown featuring images of the brand’s classic fast food favourites – Sausage McMuffins, Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, Chicken McNuggets and Big Macs included. One look at this and you’d know what you wanted to order, whether you could understand the language or not.
McDonald’s global takeover continued well into the 1980s and 1990s, with restaurants opening up for the first time in countries all over the world. This photograph is from a new opening in Zandvoort, the Netherlands in 1988; it shows one of the fast food chain’s mascots, Ronald McDonald, cutting the ribbon to commemorate the exciting launch.
Hands up if you remember the distinctive McDonald’s uniforms from the 1980s? Staff would don red and white striped shirts complete with the brand’s yellow arched logo and a name tag on the front, as well as smart trousers and a white hat. While it wasn't, perhaps, the most stylish ensemble, the uniform was one of McDonald’s cornerstone features that made the place feel reassuringly familiar.
Despite the staff being busy and processing hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of orders a day, one thing you could guarantee when you went to McDonald’s in the 1980s was that service was always completed with a smile. This photograph was taken at a location in the Netherlands in 1987.
As more locations opened across the globe in the 1980s, McDonald’s became notorious for its good working environment, offering workers flexibility and on-site training. It’s since been reported that one in eight Americans have worked at McDonald’s, and the brand continues to launch new, positive initiatives for its staff. This photograph shows Anne LaFave, an 83-year-old employee serving customers fast food with a smile in the 1980s. In an interview with Time magazine about her experience working at the chain, LaFave said: “I have a whole new family, all the kids in the store. I’m happy to stay busy.”
McDonald’s has had plenty of mascots in its time, but its most renowned is undoubtedly Ronald McDonald, the hamburger-happy clown. Complete with face paint, red curly hair and a red and white striped top, he debuted in 1963 and went on to become one of the most influential mascots of all time – as much as you may have wanted to, you couldn’t escape him. He popped up everywhere from birthday parties and TV adverts to Happy Meal branding and toys. As this picture shows, he even appeared as a giant inflatable during the 1986 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, USA.
Further fast food mascots were introduced over the years, including The Hamburglar (known for stealing burgers from Ronald), Grimace (a purple monster) and Birdie the Early Bird (a yellow bird in a pink costume). Another standout figure was Mac Tonight, a crescent moon with sunglasses who loved playing the piano. He was introduced in 1986 and made an appearance in TV adverts and Happy Meal toys – and he even greeted customers at some locations alongside Ronald and the gang. Mac Tonight was perhaps best known for his TV jingle promoting evening dining at the chain.
McDonald’s has never been one to miss out on a celebration or seasonal holiday, with multiple limited-edition menu items and products released every year. In 1981, it was much the same – here, you can see a McDonald’s worker in London, England polishing a royal window display celebrating the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
McDonald's was popular with just about everyone back in the 1980s, so you truly never knew who you might spot dining in one of the chain's restaurants. This photograph from 1984 shows Edward H. Rensi, the then president of McDonald’s USA, standing alongside co-founder Richard McDonald as he tucks into the 50 billionth hamburger cooked at a McDonald's outlet in New York City.
It wasn’t just McDonald’s presidents you might spot inside your local branch in the 1980s. This 1984 photograph shows former US president Ronald Regan enjoying a Big Mac, French fries and a soft drink with patron Charles Patterson, following his campaign appearance at the nearby University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, USA.
The fast food empire even featured in a number of films throughout the 1980s. Pictured here is a shot from Moscow on the Hudson, a 1984 American romantic comedy-drama starring Robin Williams. The movie tells the story of a Russian musician who moves to New York and gets a job at McDonald’s along the way. These film appearances just proved how universally known McDonald’s had become by this point.