Was McDonalds much better in the 1960s?

Hello!

Was McDonalds better forty years ago than today?

Senor

Without a doubt, their french fries were superior 40 yras ago (fresh cut - not the frozen, compressed cardboard scraps they fry these days).

Then again, they do have a wider menu today.

Don't know if they were any better, but to me I remember food tasting better 40 years ago than it does today. I guess as you get older you taste buds change. I remember getting tacos at the A&W in Texas and to this day they were the best tasting tacos. Also, we did not go out and eat as much as we do now. My dad got paid once a month and on his payday our treat was to go out and eat. I did not have my first pizza out in a restaurant until I was 16. My grandkids have been eating pizza since they could chew on the crust.

When McDonalds came to our town here we only had one other fast food burger place and that was Jack's. So getting a Mickey D's was certainly a treat.

McDonalds was better 40 years ago, as were all consumable items, eaten in great quantity, after some seriously good weed !

Didn't they do the FF's in beef tallow then?

Couldn't tell you, the 60s were pretty much a blur to me. Chow Jim

Burgers were cooked at the outlet, not MICROWAVED like today. Eggs were scrambled on a daily basis, not brought in already cooked. And the fries were delicious BECAUSE they were fried in non-PC beef fat.

Did they have eggs in any form back in the 60s? I don't remember when breakfast food was introduced.

quote:

Originally posted by senor boogie woogie


Hello!

Was McDonalds better forty years ago than today?

Senor

Yes.

My taste buds are better now or at least I like more things now that I wouldn't touch back then.
The fresh potato's cooked in beef tallow were better than the last time I tasted them, but then I haven't had Micky D's fries in quite a few years.

The Egg McMuffin was introduced in 1972. McDonald's used a special metal ring to fry the eggs & give it the round shape.

I remember when the first McDonald's opened in Niagara Falls, and my Dad took us there - all they had on the menu was hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, pop, shakes and coffee. You had to walk up to the window between the golden arches and order, and eat in your car or take it home - no dining rooms or playgrounds then. The food was great.

The fries were better the burgers patties were thicker too. I remember when they 1st came out with the 1/4lb'er it really tasted like beef & was a 1/4lb burger.

quote:

Burgers were cooked at the outlet, not MICROWAVED like today.

Is this true? I haven't been inside a McDonald's for some time and it's not something I ever specifically looked for, but it seems like the griddle was always partially visible from the counter.

Like SGA, when I was growing up a trip to McDonald's (or Geri's) was something special since it didn't happen very often.

Brad

Fries were originally cooked in beef tallow, which definitely enhanced the flavor. Burgers were fresh and flat grilled. When vegetable oil replaced beef tallow and microwaving replaced grilling, the public was introduced to McBurnt: http://www.thehumorarchives.com/joke/McBurnt

CSD

I know the Big Macs were better and I think they cost like 49 cents and the milk shakes wer better too.

The beef tallow fries were way better than any fries available now. The fish fillets were great, now they are bland. Like many families in the 60s, we tailgated in the parking lot on our station wagon (in which the back folded down rather than lifting up) because McDonald's was just a walk-up.

The burgers were all fried on site, they were at least twice the size, the fish sandwich was at least twice the size. Green shades tend to mess everything up.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I'm not sure the burgers were bigger when I first went to McD's in '64-'65. I seem to think they were about the same size, but they took a little more care with quantities of condiments. (The fries certainly were better, and the shakes weren't loaded with salt.) But I do know that the burgers never tasted as good as they did sitting with my Gramma on that little tile bench set into one of the arches.

McDonald's was definitely better because I had little to compare it to back in the 60's when I was a young lad. My palate had not yet been formed from a wide ranging search over the years for the world's best burger.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

the fish sandwich was at least twice the size.

I ordered the first filet o' fish I have had in years a couple of weeks ago and when I unwrapped it I was amazed at how tiny it was. It easily fit in the palm of my hand. I showed it to my wife and she just burst out laughing. I swear it was just slightly bigger than a white castle. Four bites later I was still hungry and a little sick at the same time.

In 1960, McDonalds was the first fast food restaurant in Knoxville. It was a hit. I worked there for one night. I was a student at UT and I had to work until 3:00AM. I could not handle it. Everything was cooked fresh. I am sure the small burgers and fish sandwich was much larger and better tasting.

What amazed me at the time was the time they spent cleaning after closing. We spent hours cleaning everything including the pipes for the drain. When we left, everything was wiped and cleaned including underneath the refrigerators and freezers to get rid of dust.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

All the Fast Food restaurants were better before the 80s. They basically went haywire then on.

And you know why? "Drive Thru"s. The changes made in the preparation, cooking & shelf life on fast foods ruined them.

No doubt the commercials were better in the past. (I only go back to the 70's) Oh, I hate the ghetto inspired "I'm lovin it" campaign. And oh I miss the Hamburgler, Grimace and Mayor McCheese.

quote:

Originally posted by mjambro

Without a doubt, their french fries were superior 40 yras ago (fresh cut - not the frozen, compressed cardboard scraps they fry these days).

Then again, they do have a wider menu today.

I second that--I worked at McDonald's in 1971-2 and we made the french fries from real russet potatoes. They had a machine that skinned them, taking most of the skin off, but leaving traces. Then we washed them six (yes, six) times with a drain between each wash to remove the starch (or else they would all stick together when you fried them).

Then they were fried in that beef tallow and they were absolutely the best. Kids today have no idea that the frozen, tasteless crap they are being sold nowis just that--crap and bear no comparison to the fresh french fries that were once the hallmark of McDonald's.

I hated McDonalds then, I hate them now. I'll grant that the fries probably were better then but then I prefered a lard or tallow fried much browner colored crinkle cut fry served on a grey pressed paperboard plate. I never understood the Mickey D appeal.

McDonald's in the 60's was awesome. The food was much tastier and you could get a whole sack of burgers and fries for a buck. I do like the double quarter pounder with cheese now. But the cheeseburgers 40 some years ago were excellent compared to today. They can't even melt the cheese anymore. I hate that.

Much better. Same with Burger King. The best was the Teen Burger at A&W.
britt

Fish Filet was definitely tastier. There was a very specific taste to the whole thing. Now it's just bland.