r/interestingasfuck • u/Charming_History7423 • 11d ago

/r/all McDonald's in the 80s compared to today

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267

u/PiddelAiPo 11d ago

Fair but anyone in the creative field back in those days was off their nut on LSD. The one at the top looks like some kind of magic mushroom land and that tree god thing... oh its just me...

163

u/oojacoboo 11d ago

No, parents just took their kids to McDonalds back then. There were probably more birthday parties at McDonalds than anywhere else. They had the playground too. It was a family establishment.

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u/Pogeos 11d ago

It was like that just about 15 years ago and suddenly everything started changing to this unappealing style. Wtf they are thinking?

49

u/blyan 11d ago

They’re thinking about maximizing profits and who their actual target demographic is

I’m not saying corporations don’t sometimes make mistakes but do you really think they made all those changes on a whim? Or do you think maybe there were countless focus groups and research projects going into how to get the most people consistently buying food there?

Yeah, back when we were little kids, going to McDonald’s was an exciting experience… but if a company like that wants to remain at the top, their target demographic can’t be children with no disposable income

No one nowadays is going to McDonald’s for “the experience”. People want some mediocre, predictable, semi-affordable fast food that they know exactly how it’ll taste. If anything, it’s shocking that it took them so long to realize that.

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u/7mm-08 11d ago

Corporations make mistakes all the time, regardless of it being on a whim or not. I can't fathom why you'd bring up children's nonexistent disposable income. It's obviously targeting parent/guardian money.

McDonald's food has gotten predictably bad/inconsistent and really isn't affordable anymore, so I'm not sure what you're saying.

2

u/deelowe 11d ago

It's obviously targeting parent/guardian money.

I believe they made the switch because birthrates are declining.

1

u/Eldritch-Pancake 11d ago

8 billion people in the world. 8 billion. We don't need anymore.

1

u/deelowe 11d ago

You go first.

1

u/Eldritch-Pancake 11d ago

I'll take you with me when I do 😘🥱

1

u/blyan 11d ago

You can’t look at the pictures in question and figure out why I’d bring that up? McDonald’s used to be geared towards kids. Now it’s aimed at adults who just want a quick, clean place to eat. It’s not rocket science

3

u/Paddy_Tanninger 11d ago

They're thinking that folks are more likely to visit a clean looking place, and they're right. I used to go to McD quite a bit until they decided to get into political ads...and I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have gone half as much if McD was still rocking those grease covered brown floors and dirty looking decor all over the place.

I think all of our childhood memories are making those hindsight goggles a mighty tint of rose. Our parents generally thought McD was kind of gross and we basically stopped eating there once my brother and I were past the Happy Meal + Playplace age.

Their new strategy is probably better with their business model not so strongly hedged on a bunch of 1-10 year olds begging their parents to go somewhere they don't really want to go.

2

u/hamlet_d 11d ago

It's not just maximizing profits for target demographic. It's maximizing throughput of customers. Starbucks did the same thing. They used to have comfortable, pleasant vibe. People would go there and work and have a coffee or two. The problem was they only had a coffee or two and nothing else of value was gained. It was better for starbucks to make semi-hostile/cold vibe so that throughput was more important. If you walk into a starbucks and there were people camping out to work, it meant it was more difficult for you to find a seat and then your 15 minute stop to meet a friend may not happen at all because "it's too busy".

Similarly, if kids are running around having fun at mcdonalds people may walk in and get the idea it was too busy and/or not as clean (because kids spill shit and its tougher to keep things cleaner).

1

u/conestoga12345 11d ago

Tesla has entered the chat.

1

u/Twistntie 11d ago

They're really fucking up the "semi-affordable" part because it's cheaper to get basically anything else around here!

-3

u/Pogeos 11d ago

I'm sure they did have focus groups... in the same way as all the current Disney movies are based on what focus groups recommend. Nah I don't believe in "boring & bland" being a successful business strategy for the long term.

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u/Baerog 11d ago

Nah I don't believe in "boring & bland" being a successful business strategy for the long term.

As opposed to "extremely dated 80s decor"?

Modernization is an important part of business, without it, people associate you with their parents/grandparents, even if subconsciously. There are lots of "boring and bland" businesses that are extremely successful. Arguably, Apple is "boring and bland" in the same way as modern McDonalds.

Realistically, no one even eats inside McDonalds anyways nowadays, and they certainly wouldn't be more likely to if it looked like the image from the 80s.

It's also wild to say that any decision McDonalds makes won't be a successful business strategy long term. They're possibly one of the best marketing companies in the world besides Coca Cola.

3

u/Status_History_874 11d ago

As opposed to "extremely dated 80s decor"?

That's so weird to me. Why would you think they should stick with the same 80s/90s decor? Like, why wouldn't you consider they could have modernized in a family friendly way?

1

u/MeanMusterMistard 11d ago

I guess the "family friendly way" you're thinking of is a thing of the past. Places aren't really like that anymore (in my country anyways) unless it's specifically and only designed for children. McDonalds needed to move on with it's growing list of competitors or it would have fallen to the way side if it remained as child appealing as it was in the 80s/90s

5

u/CodeToManagement 11d ago

They don’t really want people coming to sit in, that’s not where there money is.

Like a group of kids having their birthday there will come and all get a meal but stay for an hour or two. And then someone has to do cleanup etc. When you can make that same amount of money in 10 minutes with the drive through or deliveroo / uber eats it’s just not worth it to have people taking up a table.

4

u/Pogeos 11d ago

Yeah I get that it's their thinking, but how are they then different from every other fast-food takeaway? I think they are damaging their brand and long-term loyalty. Maybe I'm wrong, but for my generation (~40 now) McDonald's was about fun and mini-celebration ... which sort of created long-term loyalty.

1

u/CodeToManagement 11d ago

They don’t need to be different from every other brand. That’s kinda the point there’s enough customers for this kind of low cost / fast delivery type food that they aren’t worried.

3

u/Ok-Donut-8856 11d ago

Well it isn't low cost anymore... They increase prices to make up for the reduced amount of customers.

0

u/CodeToManagement 11d ago

It’s still cheaper than other alternatives.

I can get 9 chicken selects and large fries delivered as a meal for under £15. If my wife goes for a takeaway she likes something like Wagamama which comes in easily at £25

2

u/Embe007 11d ago

They were thinking modern = iphone. Slim, shiny, minimalist.

Plus the birth rate is much lower (than in the 70s and 80s at least). More old people having coffee so the psychotic trees have to go.

1

u/chins4tw 11d ago

Re-sell value. Generic places are easier to sell than unique looking places.

1

u/PiddelAiPo 11d ago

They started greenwashing just like BP with the massive green sunflower and offering stuff like fruit and salad. I go to McDonald's for a high cholesterol lard fest not a small bag of rabbit food. If I want salad I'd get a bag from the supermarket.

2

u/LzTangeL 11d ago

That's it, I remember as a kid it was normal to have your birthday party at McDonalds. Today I could only imagine the looks from other parents if you invited them to the same thing today lol. They would look at you like you're crazy.

44

u/Forward_Promise2121 11d ago

It was more explictly aimed at kids in those days too.

An adult grabbing a coffee and muffin on the way to the office can do that in the bottom image. You'd feel like a sex offender sitting in the top one reading your emails over a latte.

18

u/Crow_eggs 11d ago

For some reason I can't imagine a sex offender reading their emails over a latte. I suppose they must do, but in my head it's all handwritten notes, dirty tracksuits and raincoats, and CRT monitors. I think my mental image of a sex offender might be someone who only actually makes sense in the top image.

3

u/Capn_Flags 11d ago

Lots of black coffee because the milk is old.

2

u/LordMarcel 11d ago

A lot of criminals are entirely normal people in their day to day life and you wouldn't suspect a thing.

9

u/247Brett 11d ago

The bottom one has someone staring at you with hatred for staying inside for more then 20 minutes. McDonald’s new policy is to move people through and out as fast as they can. They don’t want people to stay and eat because that means they have to “waste” time cleaning it.

9

u/RichEvans4Ever 11d ago

Don’t pay them any mind, dude. Who cares if a hormonal teenager is glaring at you, they hate everyone 😂

2

u/Gowalkyourdogmods 11d ago

I did not have a good weekend but this comment at almost 6 in the morning on a Monday morning gave me such a laugh that it felt cathartic.

0

u/Igotdaruns 11d ago

Adults that feel like sex offenders in totally normal scenarios might just be.

1

u/Forward_Promise2121 11d ago

Anyone who thinks an adult having a coffee in that top image is a totally normal scenario is not someone whose opinion the rest of us need to worry about.

0

u/Igotdaruns 11d ago

It’s literally a dining room of a fast food restaurant. I feel sorry for you that as an adult you’ve lost all appreciation for whimsy. The modern world is far too sterile. As an adult with kids I see nothing wrong with another adult to be in a restaurant drinking coffee. I’d be a bit concerned if they were playing in the old McDonalds playground with kids present but I also recognize that child rapist make up about .05 percent of the population vs the amount of adults that just like to still have fun.

1

u/Forward_Promise2121 11d ago

I'm baffled that a parent with a high appreciation for whimsy took my obvious joke as a serious comment and started genuinely thinking it was about sex with children.

6

u/StreetsAhead123 11d ago

There is some cool stories about the people who made kids shows in that time. They drove to work and flew home. 

2

u/Status_History_874 11d ago

I don't get it

1

u/F1NANCE 11d ago

The drugs my dude

15

u/moistieness 11d ago

Yep everyone these days is sober and can't create more than a corporate wasteland in their wildest imagination, and the sheep seem to flock to these troughs, and use them like good sheep do.

0

u/hybridtheory_666 11d ago

They're not sober, they just switched to cocaine

2

u/blackmoose 11d ago

People stopped doing cocaine at McDonald's when they got rid of the little coffee spoons.

2

u/moistieness 11d ago

This is leave at 5, before the kids get up, gym, a Joe bogan podcast then 3 hours of charts, a 3 hr lunch, a quick shop using the self service checkout, then off to tap and go at the protien shack, followed by gym and an andrew rape podcast, then off to dinner with your side piece before going back to her place, an uber to get home after the kids and wife have gone to bed corporate america.

Coke mite actually make them interesting, these people are cardboard cut outs that dream about their cardboard cut out life, their personality couldn't imagine anything more than 2D.

1

u/Negative-Housing9375 11d ago

Step outside sometime and maybe you’ll actually understand how people work

1

u/moistieness 8d ago

I probably see and touch grass more in a day, than you ever have, hence why it's taken me so long to reply. I know a few of the people my example is based off, they live in reality TV show reality, mabie you do too.

1

u/Negative-Housing9375 7d ago

Hahaha you’ve been active on reddit the past couple of days. You were just too afraid of me to reply, just like you’re too afraid to step outside and talk to McDonalds workers. Don’t be scared buddy, go explore the world

1

u/Negative-Housing9375 7d ago

lol I noticed you replied and then deleted it. I assume you realized I was right

2

u/Baked_Bean_Head 11d ago

The wall art at the back looks like all the AI shit we get now, mcdonald's really were trendsetters back then

1

u/FeelTheFreeze 11d ago

Well, McDonaldLand was basically a ripoff of Sid and Marty Krofft's H.R. Pufnstuf (so much so that they sued and won $1M).

0

u/regprenticer 11d ago

A lot of their customers were off their nuts as well. I'm sure that specific McDonald's attracted a lot of high people with the munchies.