I worked at 2 of these in high school from 88-89 (back in the days when high school kids actually got after-school jobs). I was surprised at how much one could learn about running a business doing this type of work, and learned a lot of good life lessons. The first one I worked at was off of a US Highway, and I still remember when there'd be a slow Sunday afternoon, then suddenly a huge charter bus would pull in...and our manager would yell back to the grill "12 REGS DOWN!(small burger patties) 6 QUARTERS DOWN!(1/4 lb patties) DROP TWO BAGS OF FRIES!"
I remember those calls! I used to be a crew chief and on Saturday lunch runs I would get to call the bin orders. “Gimme 12 regulars, 3 Big Macs, and 5 quarter pounders. Drop 4 filet o fish and 4 McChickens, please!” 😀
Same here. For me, it wasn't my first but my _second_ teenager-job. You're not lying about working so hard for so little. And it gave me a lifelong loathing & aversion to the smell of melted grease & shortening. I did have some interesting experiences while working there though, the most noteworthy of which was when an earthquake struck. It was about in '83 or so (several years before the Loma Prieta quake) and I was (as usual) working the grill, and it was...quite an experience to say the least, to see this massive grill go rolling back and forth across the floor, the melted grease sloshing over the sides of the grease-trap & onto the floor... Then the power went out. And with no electricity to power the ventilation-fans, all that smoke had noplace to go. Only then did the managers very-reluctantly shut down for the rest of the day & send everyone home. Another time the place got held up, but it didn't happen on my shift; I'd already gone home for the day.
I got 3 school days off a year when I was growing up - 1 in the spring after the first warm rain to go forage for morels and 2 in the dead of winter to chop firewood. Each of those days started with just my dad and me taking a trip to McDonald's for breakfast. I thought it was so cool getting hot cakes in those Styrofoam serving containers and it was such a huge treat. And I remember vividly the day my dad took me to McDonald's for my first Big Mac once I was old enough to finish one, it was like a rite of passage and I felt so grown up. I can even recall the table we were sitting at. Funny where your memories later in life land.
Me too. Except it was when I was old enough to finish a Wendy's Big Bacon Classic. How manly I felt at 11 yrs old, until later that night and bathroom time. Let's just say big sandwiches would wait until I was 13. 😊
@@rexsexson5349 My grandparents owned a Black Angus farm, so my intestinal tract was well primed. But now at my current age a big fat meaty sangwich nags my guts for a day or two.
Hamburger 15 cents, Fries 12 cents, Coke 10 cents. Hourly wage in Cleveland at McDonalds 75 cents and all the burgers you can eat. Fries made from real potatoes on the premises. 1962.
@@davidgold5961 Not really. I watched one morning while an employee put potatoes in the cutter with the skin still on at the local McDonalds. Early '80's. You never see peel on their fries now.
I loved the McDonald’s stands in the 70s when, you could either eat outside or in your car! I also remember back then, you could also get onion rings, they were the best fast food onion rings, I ever ate but, I remember when, they buildings started getting larger they done away with the onion rings and, that’s when, the beef patties changed, let’s just say the burgers also didn’t taste the same neither. Seems like when, they had the smaller stands the burgers were a little bit thicker and tastier. There was one or 2 that was still in Cincinnati that was open till like the mid 70s, the smaller stands and, still had the same burger and onion rings. So, every time we were around the area where one was at, that’s where we’d grab bite. Those smaller stands were the best.
McDonald's to this day is my favorite fast food joint. The coffee is the best. In our area, you can find many old men meeting in the morning at McDonald's to solve the world's problems, while drinking coffee. :)
It's funny you say that cause when my grandparents would take us back in the 60s-70's they would always get coffee with their burgers. Us kids thought that was weird. My McDonalds definitely has the old man morning coffee clatch.
Growing up in the 60s, we never ate at McDonald's. My father, who was king of our house wouldn't consider it. Every hamburger we ate, my mom cooked and served it between two slices of Wonder Bread. I didn't eat McDonald's really until the early 70s when I was 15.
Same here as well, only in my case, it was mostly my mom that put her foot down about it rather than my dad (who mostly didn't give a shit one way or the other.)
This is great. I encourage anyone to watch the movie "Founder". It is the story of McDonalds and how the Brother's were totally ripped off by Ray Kroc. The movie was very well done. I felt so sorry for the Brother's.
I've spent many happy hours of my childhood and adulthood at McDonald's. A friend of mine from highschool ended up being the manager of a McDonald's. In 1975, a McDonald's had opened up near my friend's house. It wasn't there very long but it was cool to be able to grab a quick meal literally on the way to my friend's house. When I had kids of my own I took them to McDonald's. The last time was when my daughters were still in highschool. 🍔🍟🥤
I remember back in the day, when McDonald's was a good 👍and affordable place to eat. The, last time I at McDonald's was in 2011. The food wasn't very good and McDonald's is getting to expensive to eat at. I had a #2 combo, which was a Big Mac, Medium Fries 🍟and a Medium Coke which used to be $5.00 and now for the same Combo it's $10.00. All the Fast Food Restaurants are very expensive.
Yes, but everyone makes more money as well. So you got a combo for $10. Where else can you get lunch that is not fast food for less than $10? Good luck. I could appreciate your complaint if walk in/sit down restaurants all over charged $10.00 for a complete lunch, but they don't.
I haven't eaten them since 2011 as well. I stopped eating it for over a month, then got a McDouble, felt like garbage after and never ate their again. Their "food" (if you can even call what they serve food) is absolutely disgusting. Your body adapts to enjoy and crave the garbage they sell like a drug.
I remember as a child getting so excited about getting a happy meal. I do not know if they still do happy meals. But I loved the shaped box and get excited for the toy inside. There is (or was at least) a McDonald's location in Dallas, TX that is shaped like a happy meal box. Every time I would pass that location, it would bring back memories of my childhood. Now, I cannot remember the last time I ever had any fastfood.
We had a large family 7 of us kids money was short, so only once a year did we get McDonalds and it was a treat 😊as an adult I do not care for it... but enjoyed it as a child. Thanks for another great informative video, love your channel you never disappoint 🥂🍾
Some where in the '90's, the CEO decided to take the Fast out of fast food; reduced the cashiers; installed holding bins where 'fresh' burgers were constructed to order; added a slew of new products, and slowed the entire operation. I miss the original concept.
If you are ever in California, In and Out follows the original concept. All they sell are singles, double, triples, with and without cheese (although there are some "code word" variations that you can order!), fries, shakes, soft drinks. No nuggets, roast beef, fish fillets, salads or anything else. And their burgers are great, every time.
McDonald’s is too worried about PR than actually the needs of their former customers. Every single thing they have done has resulted in the food not tasting as good. They took the beef tallow out of the fries and I think changed the oil the result is the fries don’t taste as good. They changed the apple pie , it doesn’t taste as good. They no longer serve the food in foam containers which has resulted in the food not tasting is good. And that’s just three examples. They made changes to make the food more healthy in response to people who never ate there anyway and McDonald’s gets zero credit for those changes and it made the food taste worse.
Going to McDonald's growing up was reserved for road trips to see family on the other side of our state. Otherwise, our family didn't eat out. My husband's family was the same way. I recently watched, "The Food That Built America" series on the History Channel. Absolutely fascinating!
My son loves that show. I certainly remember it being a treat. By the time my nephews came along they were little & saying bye McDonalds whenever they were in the car!
When I was a kid in the 70s, McDonald's wasn't really our go-to place for hamburgers. There was a burger joint called Mr. Quick that we got take out from quite a bit until it closed in 76, 77. There was also a Dairy Queen we took out from a lot, and in fact my older sister got a job there and met her future husband. Their 48th anniversary is practically around the corner. Another burger joint we went to was an independent place called Daniel's Hamburgers, which was real good. I don't remember having my first Big Mac until I was 10 in the mid 70s. There just wasn't a McDonald's near us for several years. Now, as the 80s approached, we took out from McDonald's and ate there a little more. And one did open in the early 80s behind our local mall. After I got my license, I went there quite a bit, dine in and takeout. Hamburgers became a frequent meal for me in the 80s and 90s. McDonald's was a frequent haunt, so was Whataburger. I'm often not too impressed with McDonald's today. They're often greasy and just bleh! Also, a Bedford, Texas McDonald's treated me very badly a couple years ago. They were very nasty to me. I'm permanently banned from that location because I flipped the managers off in response to my treatment.
What I miss is the apple, cherry, etc. pies that were fried and had a nice sugary coating. They switched to the bake pies about 30 or so years ago that are horrible. This was part of the "PC" movement that started in the early 90's.
'61 - I was 6 and once a month, our next door neighbor would take his sister (my 1st grade classmate) and me to Mighty Mo's in District Heights, Md for a burger and fries brought to the car on real plates. It was a real treat for us. Every drive in stall was always full and they were THE place to get a great burger. My dad was in the Air Force and that summer, we moved away. '66 - We traveled to Md and visited our old neighbors that summer. One evening, it was suggested we go to Mighty Mo's. It was dead there. My mom asked where everyone was and the neighbor pointed down the street to the golden arches. "That's McDonald's. Their burgers are 15 cents". '72 - Visited our old neighbors once again. I was a senior. Mighty Mo's was long gone but those golden arches were still gleaming down the street. Like so many others, Mighty Mo's couldn't compete with fast, cheap burgers.
I remember my first time at a McDonald's as a teeenager in the 1960's. Myself and 3 buddies drove there, went to the counter to order and brought the burgers back to the car to eat them. As we backed-up the car to leave, the manager came running out waving his arms and yelling for us to stop. We thought that we had done something wrong. When he got to the car he said, "I just want to thank you guys for throwing your trash in the trash can." I guess people throwing trash on the ground was a big enough problem to where using the trash cans warranted a special "thank you".
Any chance you could do Sizzler ? I remember going with my family in the 60’s and 70’s and they were great family low cost eateries. Love your channel, thanks!
I know a building in Chicago with the sunroom/atrium very popular in the 70s. It's been a Boston Chicken and it was a Wag's, and I swear it was a Sizzler in between... I didn't know that those atriums are a huge fire hazard, tho. (The Station fire, 2003)
When I was growing up McDonald's were drive up restaurants where you went in purchased your food and ate in your car. Indoor seating was added later to the restaurants. One of the worst changes was when they stopped cooking the french fries in beef fat. Prior to that the french fries were the best in the world. Really special.
The original Big Mac and classic french fries were my favorite combo back in the 80's. Along with McDonaldland cookies and a Shamrock shake! Nothing compares...
i growen up in the 80's going mcdonald's was a treat. when when the mcdonald's in our town shut down and had a head to toe make over & opened backed up they had jack mckight out there & they where doing a15 cent hamburgers & 30 cent cheeseburger promo as a grand reopening. my dad bought $10 worth of hamburgers & $10 worth of cheeseburgers after that i never wanted to look at mcdonald's hamburger again.
McDonalds was my first job back in 96. Unfortunatley, that summer they decided they were going to do 10 cent hamburger tuesdays and 15 cent cheesburger thursdays. There were lines snaking through the parking lot. And that wasn't for drive thru...Life was hell. Thankfully was only a summer job. That's probably the hardest I worked up until this point in my life. And I was in the army. They took "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean" to a whole new level.
After working for them for 13 years, I was one of the funnest jobs I had. being able to learn all the stations and even doing maintenance was really a experience. after 2004, that all changed when forced out by bad management. now, Micky-D's is just another fast food restaurant as times have changed and the company has lost its way. no longer unique, its just another place to eat....
It was the early 1960's when the first McDonald's opened it's doors on 24th St. in my hometown of Port Huron, MI. I remember riding my bicycle over to it numerous times for those delicious 10 cent French fries. One of the favorite items of both my Dad and I were the Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Seeing some of the pictures in your video is like a flashback to that time!
My Dad's best friend would take my brother and I to McDonalds in his brand new 1958 Lincoln Mark III. It was a pink convertible with a white interior. Man, were we the cat's meow. I think it was probably the most beautiful car ever made. As far as consistency in food, I tried eating at a McDonalds in Paris, France and, yup, the food tasted EXACTLY the same. Just amazing.
I was 9 year olds in 1958, and remember that car...but just took a look on you tube to refresh my memory and simply amazing..Your dads friend must have had some very serious cash to have been able to afford that beauty new....wow......
I enjoyed this segment when I was a kid I used to go to San Bernardino to the McDonald's my dad used to enjoy taking this over there because it was the original we lived in Riverside so it was just a hop skip and a jump to the McDonald's and San Bernardino keep up the great work
Thanks again for your research and production of your videos. Clearly your increasing sub count is proof. Side bar, my Grandmother dated Ray Kroc in High School in Oak Park IL. After 2 dates she dropped him, stating that he was a " drip".
As a small child I was disappointed to see the original golden arches designs being remodeled in the 70s including the one nearest my home we got takeout from in San Jose, CA! However, there was one holdout franchise that never updated the building there on Almaden that was also declared a landmark like the one in Downey! It now has additional structures near it as well as at least a Burger King near it but the original building remains!
My father took us to McDonald’s after our swimming lessons when we lived in Santa Ana in 1964. The only problem was it was Friday and we could only get the fish sandwich.
The first Micky Ds opened up in my area in 1963 when I was in 1st grade. Going there for dinner was a real treat. In 63' we had a 55' Rocket 88 Olds just like the one parked in the lot in the thumbnail picture and the picture at 3:35.
Some of us are a bit too old! LOL! There were no McDonald's around when I was of an age to enjoy the Play Place, but my kids certainly loved it. I remember going on road trips with them in rural Kansas and Nebraska. When they'd see a Mickey D's they'd shout, 'Civilisation!'
When I was little it was probably the highlight of my life to go there, and especially the birthday parties, which I went to many. Today I still eat there every day on the way to work and sometimes even on my day off. I enjoy it and am not ashamed of it either.
My memories of McDonald's came in the late '60s, early '70s when one opened in my hometown. I remember we would go after church, a sort of treat for us. It was also my first job in 1977, and they taught me how to work. By that, I mean they implemented what I later learned was called 'management by hassling'. A friend became a swing manager, and I got a glimpse of the pamphlet. 'If you got time to lean, you got time to clean' was one of them. During my last 2 years in High School, Mcdonalds became a focal point for my social life as well, as most of my friends worked there too, so it was like a club that required me to work for money, so much so that when they built a new site to overcome the original's lack of a drive-thru, I had pangs of nostalgia even though I was still in my late 20's. It became a Chinese restaurant, and whenever I went in I could still imagine hopping behind the counter and taking my position at the grill, or fighting with the bun toaster while talking with my friends and making plans for after work. Every Friday and Saturday night, if you closed, you didn't feel left out, as most of them would wander by, and gather in the parking lot waiting for you to get off work. Sometimes, you would help a bit for free, as it never felt like a burden. Good times.
I remember when they ran a promotion in the 70s that, if you could say the Big Mac song, you got one for free. "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."
Old enough (sadly) to remember the golden arches. Didn't really eat there until high school. I do miss the old style franchises and absolutely love this series.
As a kid in the 60's I remember the arches and the signs that always said how many billion have been served. Loved the burgers/fries but the shakes didn't have ice cream, only a powder mix. The shakes were light and wimpy.
When I was a kid I didn’t like the 2 pickles on my burger - so I threw them up inside the outdoor patio umbrella. There were 100 pickles up there lol. - .74c got me a burger fries and small coke!
In 1987 I had my first job out of High school at McDonald’s it was a good experience. I Have an idea for another video Cornet stores was a west coast based 5 and 10 that had stores as far as Colorado I’ve have not been able to find much information on Cornet stores
I remember the old fashioned McDonald’s building, when they only sold regular hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, soft drinks and shakes. They didn’t even have the apple pies out yet, or fish sandwich! My dad would take me to get our takeaway order,since also before the drive through! I remember the uniforms the boys would wear, they were the cooks, and the woman took the orders. This was in the mid to late 60’s. I remember when McDonald’s changed the building in the early 70’s.
Even when Ive traveled to other countries Ill eventually wind up in a Mcdonalds at least once. Sometimes you just need a break from all the regional foods and need to tuck into a Big Mac and fries. In Chang Mai, Thailand, the minute you walk in the door the counter employees all shout in unison "Welcome to McDonalds!!" It was so endearing.
Another fantastic travel back through history! Will you consider doing a video on the California restaurant Fosters Freeze? I think you would make a wonderful video about the franchise
I live in Sierra Vista AZ where the Very First Drive Thru Window was installed at any McDonald's. They opened it because soldiers from Fort Huachuca were not allowed into McDonald's in uniform so McDonald's build the first drive thru window
It was always a big deal to get McDonald's gift certificates in our Christmas stocking. I miss their broccoli cheese soup and crackers. And their original Hi C orange drink.
In the 70's I liked McD's but loved Burger King. Both served tasty food back then and now today and for a long time now, both are terrible. I hadn't been to McD's in many years, but went with some relatives a month ago. It's bad enough that the prices are so high, but can the $15+ an hour workers put a sandwich together correctly? At least their coffee is good.
Every Saturday, I would give my 4 youngest children a choice of where to go for dinner. The choices were, McDonald's, Burger King, White Castle, (Which was my favorite), Wendy's, IHOP, Pizza Hut, KFC, Arby's, and a slew of others including diners. Almost always the largest number of votes, including my wife's was McDonald's. I had to overrule them on occasion so everyone had a chance to go to where they would like and since I was driving, I had the final say. Always if it wasn't their first, McDonald's was always their second choice. If I had known that we would spend so much time and money there. I would have tried to get a franchise. In the long run, it would have been cheaper.
"When you were a kid, going to McDonald's was a victory. When you're an adult, going to McDonald's is a defeat." -I Don't Know (but so true..lol) I LOVED McD's when I was a kid in the 70s! I still give into my "Big Mac Attack" once in awhile and am not ashamed to say I love them!
McDonald’s was late franchising into Wheeling WV. I was probably 12 before first going to one. But I knew Big Mac ingredients by heart from the commercials. I later worked at a McDonalds in North Carolina (frying quarter pounders) that my much younger sister practically grew up in !
I haven't been to a McDonald's in years. The reason being is because the food is not as good as it used to be. My husband and I always say that McDonald's shrank their food and raised their prices.
Been to the grocery store lately . Damn near all producers are shrinking their product raising prices. Ice cream is the best example- no longer half a gallon
On my birthday, I got what I wanted for dinner. That would be our once-a-year trip to McDonald's. I would always get 2 double cheese plain, large fry and an orange drink. I still make that order today. Well, sometimes I get quarter pounders instead.
In the early 1960s my dad would sometimes take us to a McDonald's and I remember we always had to wait extra long for our food because my sister could not stand onions. So what is said here about having to wait for any order you wanted your way is absolutely true! I am surprised though that they started in CA. The one we went to was, I believe, in Lanham, Maryland or Chevy Chase or thereabouts, and I clearly remember the 15-cent price, so it had to have been extremely early on in Kroc's expansion. That was so very long ago that I assumed it was an east coast thing originally.
It is interesting that the emoji that represents "fries / frites" 🍟 is the same package in the same colors as the Mc Fries. Maybe we don't like their "food" anymore (including myself), but you are more than able to recognize them at a glance. Now we also know why the fuzz about the Mc Rib sandwich every autumn (even down here in Puerto Rico) as it harkens back to The Mc Donald Brothers original menu (0:55) in the '40's, even if that's nowadays made from a "mechanically separated" pork patty. Our dear narrator forgot to mention who was that first Ronald Mc Donald on TV: future NBC's The Today Show weatherman Willard Scott. His inclusion added a bit more history into this story. Another non-mention the Big Mac was created by a franchisee owner in Pennsylvania that had to fight hard for finally including it in the menu (the day of this upload is Big Mac Day, a yearly charity event where all sales of that burger are donated).
The picture that you show of the red and white tile building with the golden arches and that 15 cent price.... that could have been the McDonald's in my home town back in the 60's
I miss the McDonald land cookies in the shapes of the characters. They had a unique taste. I also miss all the characters being on tv. I don’t even see Ronald McDonald anymore
For many years, I have eaten at McDonald's restaurants since I was a kid. And I remember the burgers and fries. They were one of my favorite foods there.
I went to high school, Maine HS. That was the first place we went to after school was out. that was in the 50's Ate for less than a buck and the food was really great.
On Friday nights in '66, a car full of us would get a buck's worth of gas (at around $.20 p/gal!), then head to McDonalds and spend around $.75 each for 3 burgers, fries and a malt. So, for around a dollar each we were stylin' and we could cruise around all night!
Great episode----everyone loves McDonalds, it's iconic. Who remembers the hideous decor they had in the 70's? I remember lots of green, and the seats were creamsicle orange and sky blue
wow less than 50 cents for a full big meal at that time. Original building still has a very modern design, as many things from the 50's do. Great video, good to know the history of all these companies and the people behind them. Your videos are an amazing resource, full of interesting info and fantastic old photos, it is like time traveling. Maybe you should make a blu-ray collection for sale. Thanks !
it was very interesting but my most fun at mcdonalds other than the 25 cent days in texas was my visit to mcdonalds in sydney australia . I was served food on plates like at lubys and there was a paddleboat you could ride under the roof section. I was treated like a queen. very kind good people there.
Growing up, my family rarely ate out. When we did it was a treat. I dont remember going to McDonalds till I was 16 and a friend drove me there. We got the Egga Muffins. I have not ate more than a handful of burgers there but did consume many breakfasts there. Now if I were to ask my Grandson where he would like to eat, the answer is all ways "McDonalds". Too bad I wont take him there.
After watching the movie about the brothers it was eye opening. My heart really went out to them. They really got the shaft and Kroc was beyond evil for how he went about taking their business from them.
My first job was at McDonald's when I was 16. It was great, I learned a lot and ate free. Lol! The sandwiches aren't so good, but their fries are still the best!!!
As a kid of the 80s every Halloween from 87-about 92 a happy meal came in a witch pumpkin or ghost bucket 🪣. I remember the ghost given the name of McBoo. I miss the original fries and the McDonald Land cookies had a special flavor. The McDLt sandwiches where very tasty too.
8:47 This is around the mid 70s. I remember when I was around 12 years old which would be 1977 and was old enough to go to McDonalds with just my friends my mom would give me $2, I always got a big mac, large fries and a strawberry shake and got change back from my $2. P.S. after doing a little research I found this menu is from 1973, the first year the 1/4 pounder was on the menu in all their restaurants.
My childhood memories of McDonald's extends to TV ads. I personally never ate at one until my 20s! (other chains were closer to our home). I can't say how good the food was before the early 80's, (I've herard that it used to be much better.) but it's "meh" now., I will say though that their coffee is great, I would MUCH rather have McDonald's coffee over whatever Starbuck's calls their regular coffee. And it's cheaper!
@@samanthab1923 In as much as we were closer to a couple of other burger chains, (BK, Hardees..ETC) I didn't "miss" McDonald's, but yeah, a LOT of times it was usually a "local joint". I grew up in a city neighborhood, So lots of local little Italian, Chinese, ETC restaurants plus "diner" type joints. As kids we went out fairly often, But SOMEHOW McDonald's wasn't part of it. Over 40 year later I still prefer BK over McD's, Except for the coffee! LOL
There are similarities between Ray Croc’s relationship to the McDonald brothers and Steve Jobs’ relationship to Xerox Park Laboratories. Both entrepreneurs saw the technological potential in someone else’s product, took notes and then ran with it.
My sister started working at McDonald's in her teens and at age 26 was plowed down walking home from work from McDonald's where she still worked. She started working there in the early 70s I think . She loved working there and even turned down a job to work with a lawyer and get free training. I guess our destinies can't be changed .
I still remember the first time my family and I went to McDonalds, it was Saturday afteroon in 1972 and Ronald McDonald was going to be there.I did not get to stay there long enough to see him because a rain storm had came and we had to leave before the weather got too bad, but at least I had a chance to go which was fun.😊
Here in Australia, we have been marking 50 years since our first McDonalds opened in Sydney in 1971. In Australia, McDonalds is invariably nicknamed by the Australian public, "Maccas".
I still have fond memories of going to McDonald's as a kid in the 70's. And then, I worked for them in the 80's. Nowadays, if I was forced to choose between working for McDonald's or starving to death, I'd starve to death. No, seriously. I would starve to death. I Would Freaking Starve To Death. It would be less painful.
Circumstances being what they are with me, I can honestly say that the last time I ate at McDonald's was on St Patrick's Day, 2017. And I hate the fact that it's been that long.
