r/interestingasfuck • u/Charming_History7423 • 11d ago

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

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2.4k

u/Wookie301 11d ago

The burgers tasted better back then too

1.2k

u/JorisGeorge 11d ago

Prices were also more Fastfood Chain worthy.

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u/247Brett 11d ago

For real. Paying restaurant prices for stuff that tastes like it was microwaved inside a wet bag. Much rather go to an actual restaurant at that point.

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u/Leading_Study_876 11d ago edited 11d ago

Burger King is often actually worth it though. Here in Scotland anyway.

I always just order the burger and take it home to have with a healthier side option.

This week I've had a peppercorn Angus which was pretty good, and yesterday a Bacon Double Cheese XL which was almost transcendental. Ordered in the drive-thru but had to wait five minutes in the car park, so I guess it was cooked from scratch.

Anyone from Glasgow area reading this - these were both from the Kingsgate Burger King in East Kilbride.

Even after taking it home and reheating it in the oven it was so fresh, tasty and juicy.

Some of my family now live in the states, and when they come home for a visit always go for Burger King (as well as the obvious fish & chips) as they say the burgers in Scotland are way better than those at Burger King in the US. Anyone got their own opinions on this?

McDonald's actual burgers have always been the poorest of all the big chains in my experience.

I quite like their breakfasts though. Good coffee for a burger joint too.

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u/abarthsimpson 11d ago

Fast food in other countries is much better than the US.

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u/Fragholio 11d ago edited 11d ago

It's the lack of corporate regulation in food ingredients and quality. I mean we have some but there's so many compromises that are so clearly for corporate profits that they basically come down to "make sure what you put in there for consumers can't be traced back to you if it shows up in a police report". Every time I hear "new recipe" touted for something I think "what slightly healthy ingredient did they switch out for a cheaper processed one this time?"

And even those dubious rules and guidelines are being sledgehammered away thanks to the current "administration".

Edit: typo

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u/evilmonkey853 11d ago

The difference between US and EU regulations is subtle.

In the US, manufacturers are prohibited from using anything proven to hurt you. So, if there was a study that using bleach in hamburgers was dangerous, you can’t do that.

In the EU, manufacturers are prohibited from using anything that has not been proven to not hurt you. So, if there was no study either way that bleach in hamburgers was dangerous, they can’t use it. But if there was a study that confirmed garlic is okay and safe to eat, then that’s fine.

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u/defjs 11d ago

Most things are better in other countries than the US. Some days I believe the Government is actively trying to kill us

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u/chrisberman410 11d ago

Apple has legit said to other countries "no, no, no, we don't sell YOU guys that stuff. We sell it to the dumbass Americans."

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u/Hoshyro 11d ago

EU forces Apple to not use anti-consumer and unfair techniques so they hate selling on the market.

Skill issue, Apple is terrible anyway.

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u/DetachedRedditor 11d ago

The worst offenders I think are websites blocking access for the EU due to the GDPR. But then wrapping that message in some corporate lies like "we value your privacy..." if you valued privacy truly, the GDPR wouldn't be an issue.

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u/Hoshyro 11d ago

I like to open an incognito page just for those so they don't get anything

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u/Strength-Speed 11d ago edited 11d ago

I kind of wanna give you an award for this. The food that our own country produces and exports is worse here than abroad. Our pharmaceutical products that we make are sold to us for triple what they charge elsewhere. I think they are trying to kill us. Our technology companies have better personal data protections for overseas countries than our own. We are just a piggy bank to be mined and exploited. All you do need to do buy off some legislators and they'll let you do whatever you want.

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u/mrmaestoso 11d ago

Some days I believe the Government corporations are actively trying to kill us

Ftfy

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u/GoodGuyDrew 11d ago

Time the flip the script.

Here we gooooooo!

2

u/Entire_Tap_6376 11d ago

It's the lack thereof - you've been lowballed on everything, yet you absolutely refuse to use any tools which could give the little guy a little leverage.

It's absolutely crazy, yet it also appears to be your choice, so who am I to judge.

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u/nonnemat 11d ago

And yet Reddit hates RDK Jr

6

u/RespectTheH 11d ago

Because we have brains, not brain worms.

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u/nonnemat 11d ago

Umm, not

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u/RespectTheH 11d ago

Stop eating bear meat pal, it's not doing the mush between your ears any favours. 

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u/SafeOdd1736 11d ago

Probably because those governments make them use actual ingredients like hamburger meat, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce etc for their food instead of processed chemicals like the US allows. Remember Ireland wouldn’t even allow Subway to call their rolls “bread” because subway put way too much sugar in them?

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u/nono3722 11d ago

Cakeway just doesnt have the same ring to it....

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u/devAcc123 11d ago

Ah yes, hamburger meat

1

u/SafeOdd1736 11d ago

You wouldn’t think it’s all that important in a hamburger but turns out, it is.

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u/transmogrified 11d ago

A&W in Canada vs the US was like day and night.

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u/JesusDiedforChipotle 11d ago

I don’t care how much better it is in other countries, calling a burger from Burger King “transcendental” is fuckin crazy lol

0

u/jollyreaper2112 11d ago

Italian food was amazing but I got a single cheeseburger from McDonald's to test. It was exactly like American versions, serviceable but not exciting. No idea how they slipped up.

0

u/lumpboysupreme 11d ago

Burger King is much better than McDonald’s even in the US, besides maybe the fries.

0

u/makesagoodpoint 11d ago

Again, this is a bullshit popular delusion.

2

u/Manos-32 11d ago

The major chains are awful in the US. you need to go to a place like inn n out at least to get a decent burger.

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u/bythog 11d ago

In the US Burger King is highly dependent on location. Many of them will produce the worst service and burger of your life. Some of them are outstanding and serve delicious meals.

I'm lucky that the I've i live near us a good one. Very busy but the wait is seldom long and the food they put out is great (for fast food).

2

u/The_wolf2014 11d ago

Reading this as I sit in the burger king just at Polmadie. I rarely come as it is much more expensive but the food is definitely better than McDonald's, infact it's not even a contest. McDonald's these days is just not great at all.

1

u/BasilBernstein 11d ago

From Glasgow which is definitely not East Kilbride lol (EK is made of roundabouts) but agree BK is a cut above

Their coffee is disastrous though - I'd give Tim Hortons the win on that, especially as they'll fill my reusable, but their burgers are made of cardboard unfortunately

Can't beat a fish burger from McDonald's though, and yes their coffee is OK although sometimes you get two thirds of a cup with an aftertaste of matte paint

Five Guys are the overpriced winners for chain burgers imho. They slap any shape of buttcheek

1

u/Leading_Study_876 11d ago edited 11d ago

I did say "Glasgow area"... it's only 30 minutes from Sauchiehall street on a good day.

Way quicker than getting to Shawlands - almost always.

It's a shame that BK can't do decent chips though ☹️

You really need to buy a burger from BK and swing by McD's for the fries (and an apple pie) on the way home.

It's a bit like supermarket shopping. Some are great at one thing (Morrisons - fresh butcher meat) but fail elsewhere.

Our typical weekly food shop involves visits to ASDA, M&S, Morrisons & Sainsbury's as a core. Plus occasional excursions to the end of the spectrum at Waitrose or Lidl and Aldi for one obscure reason or another.

Incidentally, ASDA have frozen Wagyu burgers that are bloody great. Don't think they're own-brand. Of course as usual nowadays, they're way too thick. So you have to defrost them and squish them onto the pan or grill like a smash burger. And pour off some fat - obv. But bloody tasty. As loads of freshly ground black pepper, of course.

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u/BasilBernstein 11d ago

I admire your commitment

Best to die on your hill than a South Lanarkshire roundabout

1

u/Irn_Bru_Stu 11d ago

Kingsgate Burger King in East Kilbride.

lmfao i used to work there years ago. reddit always surprises me how local it can be at times.

Was the early 00's I worked up there. think its still the same with the big sainsbury's and that. was a nice wee place then.

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u/Leading_Study_876 11d ago

Still one of the best. And the KFC nearby is (usually) really good. Always risky recommending restaurants, I have found.

I used to cringe after recommending a place to someone, then going back only to find it had really gone downhill. And just imagining them sitting there and cussing me.

1

u/Irn_Bru_Stu 11d ago

Still one of the best. And the KFC nearby is (usually) really good.

That KFC used to be a big pizza hut on that site, which was amazing back in the day, the buffet at least. I remember going there for birthday parties and stuff. thats another chain thats objectively went downhill. I like KFC too, avoid the one one the queensway though.

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u/HerrBerg 11d ago

I'm pretty positive your fast food is just better than US fast food because the food is just required to be.

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u/Serkuuu 11d ago

Its still trash food lol

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u/Narcissista 10d ago

I have unfortunately never been to Scotland but I do know this: every single fast food joint has gone down so much in quality since I was a kid that I don't even bother anymore.

Burger King used to be my absolute favorite, but there's a seriously substantial difference between the past and the present.

It's not just food either, but I won't get into that here.

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u/nabrok 10d ago

Even in the US I'll take Burger King burgers over McDonald's, but McDonald's does have the better fries.

1

u/Itchy_Influence5737 11d ago

Nobody's asking the real questions here: if I go into McDonald's in Glasgow... can I order IRN BRU?

1

u/Irn_Bru_Stu 11d ago

Yes, of course. I used to get it in my happy meals so it's definitely been available since at least the 90s

look at my app choices

1

u/Cuddols 11d ago edited 11d ago

Yes Irn Bru is pretty much everywhere - it is the number 1 consumed soft drink in Scotland ahead of Coca Cola. It is even in Scottish Jollibee. Only the occasional English/American headquartered fast casual chain restaurants tend not to have it (e.g. Wagamama)

0

u/Gwinjey 11d ago

Car park is my favorite perfectly normal American English words used in an explicitly non-American way. Is that the place where you can take your car off its leash and let it run around with other cars? 

0

u/willcheat 11d ago

I can guarantee you that's not the case elsewhere in the world. Which is a shame, as older days BK was pretty great :(.

Enjoy your good BK you lucky Scot!

0

u/JokerVictor 11d ago edited 11d ago

Been a long time since I lived in the UK, but I remember Burger King being the superior choice there myself. It's quite the opposite here in western Pennsylvania. Burger King serves up bland nondescript burger like substances that taste like dog food, and McDonalds is generally pretty good.

No fast food joint beats the McDonalds in Japan though, those are god-tier.

1

u/Leading_Study_876 11d ago

Lived in Singapore for several years. The KFC was something else. So many (really) spicy options. And the food and drink at the Ponderosa restaurant in the Widjojo centre in Jakarta was way better than the same chain back in the US! And much cheaper.

Have a look at the UK Burger King menu:

Main menu

The Bacon Double Cheese XL is my go-to. Sometimes I'll take it home and add sliced tomato and pickle or whatever. But the basic burger is great.

I do miss the Mushroom Double Swiss though. Not been available for years. That mushroom sauce really made it so moist and lovely.

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u/Bulk_Cut 11d ago

Yea parents can’t afford McDonalds as a lunch time treat any more so no love lost.

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u/Highway_Bitter 11d ago

At least here in Sweden many restaurants caught up and are now more expensive :):):):). But like a decent lunch at a pizzeria is about the same price. A decent non-kebab/pizza lunch is probably 10-50% more

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u/Celestial_Surfing 11d ago

Strange. I can get 2 double cheeseburgers (buy one get one $1) and a large fry (any size fry with purchase for $1) for $5. I’m not aware of any restaurant that would match those prices.

Microwaved inside a wet bag. Now that’s undeniable. But any decent quality place is like $15-20 here to compare.

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u/247Brett 11d ago

Probably depends on cost of living of where you are. It’s definitely more than that where I live.

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u/Celestial_Surfing 11d ago

Interesting. I live in DC. Food is generally expensive, but McDonald’s is not. Ends up being my work lunch more often than it should.

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u/Sauerkrauttme 11d ago

Restauant quality burgers are $20 now. Buy a cast iron and you can make restaurants quality burgers at home pretty easy

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u/gordonv 11d ago

microwaved inside a wet bag

Don't know if you were being sarcastic or not. This is literally how Olive Garden prepares a lot of it's sides. It's engineered as "microwave, set, serve." It's identical to how you see Taco Bell employees working at their food stations processing orders.

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u/Dorkamundo 11d ago

I mean, they have their $5 meals which are completely reasonable.

McDouble, 4 piece nugget, small fry, small drink.

Not my favorite choices, but for $5 I'm not complaining.

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u/ExternalSelf1337 11d ago

I say this too, but then I'm still suckered in by the convenience factor. Ready nearly immediately, don't have to get out of the car... I really thought when fast food got to be approximately as expensive as real restaurants that I would be done going to them but I have been surprised by the power of my own laziness.

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u/247Brett 11d ago

If Mickey don’t got me, I know Culver got me.

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u/Low_Average_4125 11d ago

💯💯💯 and the stuff knowingly give us cancer & diseases. I’m happy the prices are up so people stop buying that shit, the people have made that corporation billions for them to only lower the quality & charge more.

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u/Beginning_Cream498 11d ago

Yes McDonalds and all fast food are way over priced, but they are still delicious as fuck. 

0

u/GanondalfTheWhite 11d ago

Mcdonalds is actually one I wouldn't even say is delicious.

Their bread is too weird and chewy and spongy now. Doesn't even seem like real bread, feels more like eating a lump of latex foam.

Their fries and nuggets are still tasty. But the weird bread ruins every sandwich for me.

1

u/Goldfish-Bowl 11d ago

The nuggets are gross and I love them

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u/[deleted] 11d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/GanondalfTheWhite 11d ago

Yeah, McDonalds and White Castle are two that I always regret afterwards.

Burger King is 50/50 regret. Wendys is almost never a regret. 

Taco Bell is something I'm always happy I did.

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u/Goldfish-Bowl 11d ago

I will talk shit about how awful white castle is between every bite as I plow my way through a crave case, and regret my life the entire next day. Then do it again later.

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u/nikolapc 11d ago

Yeah people make your own burgers, freeze them and buy like frozen fries. It's like a 20 min cook time from frozen to ready. For the fries air fryer set it and forget it, for the burger cast iron pan, 20 min is for me cause I have 150 gr or more burgers. Which is about 3rd of a pound or more. They're made by my local butcher and they're prob better than anything you can buy at a burger joint unless it's a $50 joint. Don't make the dried smash burger patties, make a fat one it's always better.

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u/worksafe_Joe 11d ago

Or just don't buy the expensive shit. I get two sandwiches and a coke for less than $7. My go to if I'm only going to have time to eat while on the way to the next spot.

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u/Impastato 11d ago

I hear this sentiment a lot and I don’t understand it, unless you haven’t been to a restaurant in the last 10 years and still think that’s what the prices are.

1

u/No-Neat2520 11d ago

? Adjusted for inflation, a burger in 1985 would have been $2.03. Right now that same burger is $2.99. Even with the global pandemic a couple years ago, this is only an increase of .93 cents over 20 years. Nothing crazy. The issue, is your pay hasn't increased like it should have. So even though the prices have barely increased , it's a much larger portion of your pay.

0

u/beepbeepbubblegum 11d ago

All these companies are just ripping us off. There was a Taco Bell post about 89 cent beefy 5 layer burrito which according to inflation should be around $2 now but they are selling it for $4.

1

u/BriskPandora35 11d ago

This doesn’t get talked about enough imo. For the price I pay for 3 “meals” for my family, there are times when the price is literally equivalent to ordering food from an actual restaurant. Especially on a door dash or uber eats type app. The fees usually bring it to the price where I could actually get better food from a good restaurant and it would cost the exact same as say McDonald’s. It’s crazy how this inflation (corporate greed) has hit fast food chains and it’s barely a topic for discussion

1

u/coolmanjack 11d ago

That's why you don't get meals. Fries and drinks are a scam. You can still get multiple sandwiches for like $1.50 or $1.75 each from most McDonald's in the country by using the app and the mcvalue menu. I did a road trip recently across the country and at one point got 5 sandwiches in Arkansas for $7.76

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u/smeeeeeef 11d ago

The tradeoff is having to install an app and giving your data away.

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u/coolmanjack 11d ago

Eh I don't give a shit. McDonald's and every other company has my data. Most of em just use that shit to advertise to me at certain times that they are hoping will convert to more sales, but unless it's a screaming deal I never fall for that shit

1

u/inhugzwetrust 11d ago

Yep, $11.50 for 2 cokes in Australia... Ridiculous!

1

u/Hour_Neighborhood550 11d ago

It’s wild, 10 more dollars you can go sit down, be served, and get a beer

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u/PaperHandsProphet 11d ago

15-20$ is cheap for a sit down restaurant with no drink here. And I live in one of the lowest cost of living areas

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u/texasrigger 11d ago

The employees made the federal minimum. They pay their employees more now but make up for it by raising prices and cutting quality. The fast food model, as we once knew it requires cheap labor.

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u/Alarming-Chance-7645 11d ago

They all generally employ cheap foreign workers. It's greed

1

u/texasrigger 11d ago

Maybe that's regional? I can't remember ever having gone into a local fast food place that wasn't being handled by locals. "They all generally employ cheap foreign workers." has definitely not been my personal experience.

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u/Alarming-Chance-7645 11d ago

Only time I've seen locals work is when I've gone out to rural locations and usually it's 50-50 literal children or retirees working for pennies.

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u/texasrigger 11d ago

Yeah, the kids thing has always been true. Fast food has been a "starter job" since its inception. Working for pennies went away with covid, though. I don't know of any major chain that pays just the federal minimum anymore. Even my local semi-rural McDonalds bumped their pay nearly $4/hr after covid and in many states they are getting $15/hr or more, double the federal minimum.

1

u/Cool-Inevitable-3710 11d ago

It’s not a regional issue, it's a systemic, corporate one. McDonald’s raised wages marginally post-COVID, but it coincided perfectly with menu-price hikes that resulted in a whopping 40% gross profit increase since 2020 - that spike has never come down. Consumers felt every cent. Wage increases were merely crumbs compared to the huge pie McDonald’s executives happily divided.

Also, let’s finally ditch the myth of fast-food work being merely a "starter job." Decades of stagnant wages, soaring living costs, and unprecedented inflation have transformed these roles into critical financial lifelines for millions of adults. The fantasy of teenagers flipping burgers for pocket change is convenient nostalgia that helps corporations justify poor wages - but the reality is far more bleak and far less innocent.

1

u/texasrigger 11d ago

I said the foreign workers being the norm may be regional. Areas with large populations of foreign workers perhaps. I've literally never encountered McDonalds being primarily staffed by "foreigners" firsthand across the many states that I have lived in.

roles into critical financial lifelines for millions of adults.

I was responding to the guy who was talking about McDonalds being staffed by "literal children and retirees."

1

u/Nprguy 11d ago

You can get a double cheeseburger on the app for like $1.95 w/ tax, but yes it is only 1/5th of a lb of beef

1

u/dan1101 11d ago

50 cent hamburgers and 60 cent cheeseburgers for a long time.

1

u/PaperHandsProphet 11d ago

It’s the tax for not using the app. McDonald’s shouldn’t be more than 5$ for the normal obese American with it

1

u/Goddamn_Grongigas 11d ago

I stopped by McD's this morning because I really wanted a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. I splurged and got the meal, first time in years. It was nearly $10! I remember that same meal like 15 years ago was half that.

1

u/HerrBerg 11d ago

It's just as expensive to get a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese vs. the Sonic Smasher which is waaaaay fucking better. Better drink options at Sonic too.

1

u/BlueJay006 11d ago

In-N-Out is cheaper than McDonald's now it's actually crazy

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

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u/haberdasherhero 11d ago

Just using inflation is deceptive.

A big Mac in 1980 costs 33% of what you'd make in an hour at minimum wage.

In 2025 a big mac costs 78% of what you'll make in an hour at minimum wage.

-2

u/rangebob 11d ago

that's just as deceptive because it's going to be different in every country (or state)

Where I live a big mac costs about 23% of the hourly minimum wage

11

u/haberdasherhero 11d ago

Definitely not "just as deceptive". My comparison is far more reflective of the fact that purchasing power has decreased dramatically over the last half a century even though the cost of goods, adjusted for inflation, has not changed much.

Your last statement is more reflective of a statistic called "real personal income" in your specific state, which is wages compared against a bread basket of goods, calculated across each state, and then ranked by purchasing power compared to the median. Some states are far better than average, and it sounds like you are in one of those states.

You are certainly correct in your statement that if we wanted a better comparison, we would have to do an income and expense comparison for every state, both for 1980 and 2025. Which, if you'd like to do, I'd love to see the results at such a fine-grained detail.

You'll find the numbers you get are closer to my comparison than to yours though.

1

u/geoooleooo 11d ago

I live on the hood so fast food is dirt cheap. I swear they give us the worse quality foods. When i lived in the burbs McDonald's tasted way better. I can get 2 big macs for 6 bucks but in the burbs they dont do any deals. Same thing for Wendy's burbs dont do biggie bags.

0

u/No-Neat2520 11d ago

It's not deceptive, it's proof wages haven't increased.

4

u/JorisGeorge 11d ago

ChatGPT is not a reliable source. Or only reliable if you check how it ChatGPT got it from its sources. McDonald’s was way cheaper compared to a diner for US or in Europe a bit more expensive than the snack bars. That is no longer the case. Diners are even cheaper in some cases and snack bars are now way cheaper.

1

u/No-Neat2520 11d ago

McDonald’s was way cheaper compared to a diner for US

And it still is.

0

u/Designer_Situation85 11d ago

I did check the sources and used an interest calculator.

1

u/Zephyr_Dragon49 11d ago

Chat also once told me that 3.1 was less than 2.5

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u/247Brett 11d ago

Remember being excited for McDonald’s instead of it just being the last pick ‘guess there’s nothing else’ option? I miss the crisp mcnuggies and burgers that actually had me excited to go there.

52

u/xelop 11d ago

It's not even that to me. I haven't had McDonald's in 4 years. I'll go home and make a PB and J before I stop there. I'd stop at a gas station and get a prepacked sandwich before mcds lol

21

u/Jesus__Skywalker 11d ago

I'd stop at a gas station and get a prepacked sandwich before mcds lol

that's going too far. McD's aint what it was, but those gas station sandwiches are dangerous looking

10

u/Mountain_Frog_ 11d ago

Depends on the gas station. In some parts of the country it is common for gas stations to cook and serve relatively fresh burgers, chicken sandwiches, and other hot food

20

u/KeepingItSFW 11d ago

On a roadtrip we were in the middle of nowhere and stopped through the drive thru and everyone got a unHappy Meal.

For like $6 a person you get:

  • 6 nuggets (which were fine)

  • a cup of ice with a shot of Coke in it

  • 7ish french fries

  • a bag of apples floating in chlorine?

  • a chunk of plastic “toy” that literally does nothing besides take centuries to break down in a landfill.

Forgot to beg for my fries instead of apples, and they didn’t ask. Was a really disappointing $20ish spent for 3 people.

11

u/xelop 11d ago

Yeah one of those frozen prepack burgers at a gas station is like twice as big and I think like 3 bucks. The microwave is free. Or one of those frozen burritos, or a hot dog. Literally anything a gas station has would have a better cost to taste ratio. I'm unsure why anyone eats McDonald's at all still. Even as a desperation you have better choices than mcds lol

2

u/Chimie45 11d ago

Tornadoes are a fucking treat. Gas Station food can be really fucking good. I worked at one in HS (granted, ...20 years ago... fuck) but we had fresh salads, fresh breakfast burgers, and all kinds of sandwiches... shit was dope.

1

u/xelop 11d ago

Sounds like a Sheetz or a Wawa. I'm not sure what the West Coast version would be lol.

But I also worked at a place like that but those aren't everywhere so I was just talking standard across the board available everywhere. Lol those tornadoes are great. The Southwest Chicken is what it's called in my area, with some ranch is the best

1

u/Chimie45 11d ago

It was a Meijer Gas Station in Ohio lol.

1

u/xelop 11d ago

I have friends from Ohio and they mentioned that place all the time when they first moved down lol

1

u/Chimie45 11d ago

It's a Michigan staple. Meijer is the best thing.

1

u/RedWhiteAndJew 11d ago

The food at QT and WaWa surpassed McD’s years ago. I downright have cravings for QT Tornadoes and hot dogs.

-1

u/score_ 11d ago

Holy shit is a happy meal actually $20 now‽

2

u/KeepingItSFW 11d ago

$20ish spent for 3 people

I could see how that could be misread but I spent $20 total for 3 people

1

u/score_ 11d ago

Ah I see, I thought yall just split a happy meal 3 ways, hence the "unhappy meal" Lol. Haven't been in a very long time don't even remember what comes in those things.

1

u/KeepingItSFW 11d ago

It felt like we split it with how many fries we got, the fry container is like something from American Girl, the 6 nuggets each were good but the rest sucked.

1

u/MercantileReptile 11d ago

Everyone loves the smell, apparently. "Yay, fries". It's deeply unpleasant to me. But they had great (and cheap) coffee. Standing at a train station at the crack of dawn, options were limited.

Now even that reason is gone, as they're no longer cheap.

3

u/xelop 11d ago

I will admit their coffee is good

4

u/makos5267 11d ago

Burgers and fries are still fine but they changed the recipe on the McNuggets years ago and they are crap compared to how good they used to be

2

u/SolomonGrumpy 11d ago

The fries are a sad imitation of how good they were in the 80s.

17

u/Bennybonchien 11d ago

You also probably didn’t worry about cholesterol, sodium or heartburn from the styrofoam fries and fire-retardant anti-foaming-agent filet-o-fish sandwich back then.

24

u/duaneap 11d ago

If you’re worried about cholesterol or sodium was any period of McDonald’s for you? At least it tasted good in the 90s from what I remember.

6

u/smokinJoeCalculus 11d ago

At least it tasted good in the 90s from what I remember.

Nostalgia is a powerful flavor.

1

u/Bennybonchien 11d ago

My point is that when you’re a kid, you don’t care about the health ramifications. 

1

u/No-Neat2520 11d ago

No, that's literally what he just said.

1

u/longtimeAlias 11d ago

Oh please. McDonalds fries were better tasting and probably LESS chemically processed back then than they are now. Notice that they stopped serving fries cooked in beef tallow but people still keep getting fatter.

2

u/Turbulent_Lobster_57 11d ago

Pardon while I climb up on this soap box. FRIED. APPLE. PIES. Thanks, I’m done now

3

u/Narcoleptic_247 11d ago

Yeah, I remember being a kid too.

0

u/makesagoodpoint 11d ago

Literally none of that has changed. You just started ordering with DoorDash.

0

u/247Brett 11d ago

Fuck door dash. No way am I paying $39 for a single meal for myself. Those McNuggets have changed even in store though. They used to be crispy, now every time I get them they’re soggy even if they’re ‘fresh’ from the counter.

0

u/makesagoodpoint 11d ago

I’m sorry, but the nuggets haven’t changed. You have. That’s totally fine too, we all grow up. If you want fresh and crispy nuggets, you have to show up during peak hours so your nugs aren’t in the heating tray for long. The recipe for the batter has literally not changed.

12

u/High-Plains-Grifter 11d ago

And the Fries! Oh my, so much better!

6

u/Jazzlike_Climate4189 11d ago

Because they were cooked with beef lard back then

7

u/Far_Cup_329 11d ago

And the fries.

8

u/Leaving_One_Dwigt 11d ago

That’s because you were 10 (just guessing).

17

u/t_doob_t 11d ago

Probably larger too

1

u/VP007clips 11d ago

No, the burgers have been the same size for over 50 years.

They use 45g burgers and have not changed the size at any point since their introduction, other than the quarter pounder.

1

u/ihaxr 11d ago

Nah, but in the 90s they used to have 29¢ hamburgers and 39¢ cheeseburgers... Now they're $2.39...

2

u/StChas77 11d ago

As a 47 year old, no, not really.

2

u/makesagoodpoint 11d ago

Oh bullshit.

0

u/Wookie301 11d ago

You think they taste better now? Don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that. But each to their own.

2

u/makesagoodpoint 11d ago

I’m saying they taste the exact same because they taste the exact same.

3

u/christopia86 11d ago

I sometimes wonder if they actually tasted better or I was just a child blinded by the marketing.

I had five guys a while ago and I'd describe it as how I remember McDonald's tasting when I was kid. Pricey, but it was a rare treat.

1

u/RogerMcDodger 11d ago

I've had it occasionally year after year for nearly 40 years, a treat as a kid in the UK, often when I was in NYC for a few years, and out of curiosity in many countries I've visited. I don't really think there is a huge difference. If it's changed it has transitioned well. It just tastes "like McDonald's" to me.

No way I could recall what it tasted like 30 years ago compared to the quick maccies I had that hit this spot and solved my hunger at the end of a busy day adulting.

I think there is just a lot at play with our food memories. But you have made me decide to have five guys for lunch.

1

u/christopia86 11d ago

Hope it was a good lunch! Wish there was a five guys closer to me.

2

u/RogerMcDodger 11d ago

It was 😂.

1

u/jcarreraj 11d ago

The fries did as well

1

u/rjmartin73 11d ago

Wouldn't know as back then only went to McDonald's if someone was having a birthday party there. How spoiled we are now.

1

u/PilgrimOz 11d ago

Fires were not only edible. They were enjoyable.

1

u/SurealGod 11d ago

Back then it was fun and new. Now it's corporatized and the status quo

1

u/Hwicc101 11d ago

It was the most exotic thing you had tasted when you were 7.

1

u/skip_over 11d ago

They got us addicted and then stripped away everything good about it

1

u/Qweniden 11d ago

Fries and nuggets were waaaaaaayyyyyyyy better.

1

u/cumpelstiltskin 11d ago

Trans fats.

1

u/gordonv 11d ago

A dark irony.

RFK has rolled back (Fen 2025) food regulations for restaurants. One restaurant announced it's going to go back to using beef taw (fat) for it's french fries. McDonald's did that up until the early 90's.

The fries taste better and beef taw is cheaper than vegetable oil. But yes, that's a type of cholesterol that is worse for humans.

1

u/ForGrateJustice 11d ago

They had less shredded apple cores and Chinese newspaper in it.

Hey, Deng Xiao Ping died.. When did that happen??

1

u/yourtoyrobot 11d ago

would load up on those .29cent burger days

1

u/k4f123 11d ago

And you could trip on mushrooms in there too

1

u/sigaven 11d ago

Trans fats

1

u/mickeyflinn 11d ago

But they were still terrible burgers.

1

u/Gambl33 11d ago

Everything was better. Nowadays it isn’t even a restaurant. They only cater to drive thru. Walk in and they ignore and avoid eye contact. It’s super depressing.

1

u/OutrageousMoney4339 10d ago

That's because everything was cooked/fried in beef tallow.

0

u/WithoutTheWaffle 11d ago

Coffee is better now.

Literally everything else was better then.

0

u/Healthy_Disk_1080 11d ago

also you didnt have wait like 20 minutes

-1

u/Superb_Astronomer_59 11d ago

Now they’re just sloppy bunwiches made with wafer thin slices of steamed mystery meat.

-1

u/Salt_Eggplant6675 11d ago

probably the horse meat

-3

u/Opposite_Unlucky 11d ago

Because the cows were still cows. The fries were potatos The bread was still bread. The chicken nuggets were mostly chicken.

Seriousness has left the chat.

Now the cows have more steroids then the entire 80s and 90s wrestling and bodybuilding communities times 20.

I think the fries are recycled sneezes or something. They managed to put potato chip bag air into a french fry. By my bad math thats like. 3% potato and 97% nitrogen.

Nitro fries.

The bread is made from top of a swamp film.

Thats what happened to all the bogs and swamps. They got used to make fast food buns.

And we have run out of chickens.

I am almost positive in my little imagination that male chicks are infact. Nuggets.

I have been cooking for 30 some odd years. I have never. Ever. Cut a chicken nugget off a chicken. Not a breast. Not a thigh. Wings dont have them.