Updated 2025-04-07T17:54:50Z
- The first McDonald's franchise opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955.
- Chicken nuggets were introduced to the menu in 1983.
- Motorhead and President Ronald Reagan were photographed eating at McDonald's in the 1980s.
By the 1980s, McDonald's was already a well-established fast-food chain with an iconic menu and signature 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 the restaurants had taken on a signature design style that prominently featured the chain's iconic "golden arches."
The 1980s were a major period of growth for McDonald's.
The Deseret News reported that McDonald's restaurant sales reached $1.62 million in 1989, compared to $1 million in 1979, and sales outside the US grew from $900 million in 1979 to $5.3 billion in 1989.
While some aspects of eating at McDonald's have remained the same, some feel iconically '80s.
Here's what it was like to eat at McDonald's in the 1980s.
Some McDonald's restaurants in the 1980s retained the original restaurant design from the 1950s 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, other storefronts looked more modern.
This London restaurant, pictured in 1985, looks remarkably similar to urban McDonald's restaurants of today.
Some restaurants were built into large colonial-looking buildings.
This outdoor courtyard, with its wooden tables and benches, looks quite different from most McDonald's seating areas now, though some McDonald's locations are still housed in historic buildings.
This Sydney restaurant featured a large skylight and modern seating.
There are still surprising, unique McDonald's restaurants around.
Employees wore striped bowling-style shirts and hats.
Today, employees often wear T-shirts that reflect the chain's most popular and 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, which 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."
