What Did Fast Food Restaurants Look Like in the 80s?
Fast food restaurants look so different today than in the 80s, kids today wouldn’t even recognize them. From the logos to the seating to the chunky plastic toys, how many of these layouts can you remember? Some of the restaurants that have made the most changes include McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway. But all of them had to adapt quickly to keep up with the impatient, young Gens Y and Z.
For those who would like to re-visit the good ole restaurant days, check out these photos of what fast food restaurants looked like in the 80s.
1. McDonalds
Menu
Starting with the big brown drive-thru menu, with the interchangeable letters. They might have been hard to read from a distance or far away, but they do bring back nostalgia. Thankfully they haven’t taken off many items, and of course there have been lots of additions over the years. It’s also nice to enjoy the breakfast menu all day instead of having to wake up early to make it before 10:30.
Characters on the Windows
Back when the fast food giant had lots of interior windows, they spiced’em up a bit by adding favorite characters. Including the Hamburglar, Birdie, Grimace and Ronald himself, they certainly gave you something to stare at when dining in. You may also notice the different shapes in the floors before the 90s brown rectangle floors took over.
Playground
Do you remember the big hamburger jail cell back in the day? It either burned your hands and knees in the summer or was covered in snow and ice in the winter. But of course when you’re a kid, not a lot matters when you discover a climbable play place.
Cookies
These would always go quickly whenever we were able to get our hands on these. While loved by many, not many came in the box and they were super easy to binge. We even caught our parents snagging a few! Although rumor has it they are still available in Australia at select locations.
Uniforms
Would you be willing to put these things on for a day? How about operate that big box of a cash register? This red and white striped outfit was actually first introduced in the 70s but thrived throughout the mid-80s. Anyone want fries with that?
2. Burger King
The Logo
BK’s logo surely had a bit more of a squiggly font, comparable to popular 90s fonts. But the burger giant never removed the sandwiched name from the middle of the bun. This seemed to have served them well over the years.
The Mascot
Known as “The King” (courtesy of the company name), only the head was introduced in the 70s, but gave a lot of inspiration to make up the rest of the character. The head eventually became an iconic symbol for the burger brand.
He also had his first commercial in 2004 and featured on popular kids’ networks until 2011 when he was pulled after receiving complaints that he was “creepy”. Can you blame them?
Despite many missing the character, Alex Macedo, then senior VP of Marketing stated “There are no plans to bring the King back anytime soon.” So until they come up with another, the burger giant remains mascot-less.
The Fish and Chicken Sandwiches
Burger King sales really declined in the 80s, so they were struggling to bring back the popularity. They found that switching from Coke to Pepsi products did help as well as the introduction of newer food menu items to attract older customers who were willing to spend more on quality food. The plan worked as sales increased by 15%.
The Croissan’wich and French Toast Sticks
With the release of the Croissan’wich in 1983 and French Toast Stick in 1985, the breakfast menu was a lot more appealing, driving up sales. The brand quickly made note of this and wasted no time adding more food items, including pancakes, biscuit sandwiches, breakfast burritos, waffle sandwiches and hash browns.
3. Pizza Hut
Hut-Shaped Roof
Who could forget the iconic hut-like roof of Pizza Hut back in the day? This look made it extremely easy to catch as countless families flocked here after their kids’ sports games. Not much could have been better than to enjoy an original pan pizza on a Friday night.
Red Cups
These cheap plastic red cups were legendary. Just by looking at them, you thought of the brand (great brand awareness). But of course, they had to make some changes to mix things up. The pizza giant decided to take out the ripples and replace it with a lightly textured red cup with the Coca Cola logo on it.
Light Fixtures
Nothing was more classy back then than these colored glass, branded light fixtures. It certainly fit the atmosphere of the casual, pizza restaurant. Booth please!
Dining Room
Look familiar? This set up was in almost all 1980s Pizza Hut restaurants. And of course they’d never be complete without the popular salad bar! Oh and the green carpeted floor with all the crumbs, sauce and pop stains. This certainly brings back a lot of memories.
4. Taco Bell
Western Style Building
Taco Bell definitely looked more authentic back then than it does now, with its orange shingle rooftop and huge sign on the front. The building was also easy to spot when driving by. Although the logo hasn’t changed much over the past 40 years, this is a good thing! Everyone will always recognize the longstanding logo and still get hungry.
Interior
This layout was similar to many 80s fast food layouts, but it was certainly popular during its time. Of course the neon signs definitely made it unique to the 80s. Pretty hard to miss as soon as you walk in the door. The plastic and wood seating were also very “in” during this era.
Seafood Salad
The introduction of the seafood salad in 1987 was the tex-mex failed attempt at competing with McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish. The salad came with shrimp, whitefish and snow crab, although it was short lived. It’s pretty hard to serve quality seafood at a cheap price. They best stick to tacos and burritos.
Bell Beefer
This sandwich was first introduced in the mid 1970s and lasted until the mid 1990s, representing the Bell’s attempt at their own fast food hamburger. Popular during the 70s and early 80s, the sandwich consisted of taco meat, shredded lettuce, mild “border sauce” and diced onions. There was also a supreme version available, with the option to add grated cheese and diced tomatoes. But as all good things must come to an end, the sandwich lost its popularity in the late 80s.
There were also a number of other food menu items introduced during the 70s, 90s and 2000s, including the Black Jack Taco (2009), BLT Taco (1990s), Chicken Caesar Grilled Stuft Burrito (2003) and much more.
5. Wendy’s
Introduction of the Baked Potato
With the growing popularity and successful 2,000 operating restaurants in 1980, the fast food burger giant decided to add baked potatoes to the menu in 1983. It was wildly successful during the 80s and still remains successful today. It’s also considered to be a “tried and true favorite for customers seeking a lighter side or as a destination to accompany their chili” (Wendys).
Dave Thomas Aired in His First TV Commercial
In April of 1989, Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s air his first commercial, which quickly became popular throughout the U.S. The campaign was such a success that Dave appeared in over 800 commercials afterwards, according to Wendy’s.
The Launch of the Super Value Menu
Of all the fast food value menus, Wendy’s was the first to come out with this moneymaker in October of 1989. It first introduced nine items available for $.99 all day everyday, although the items did rotate based on what customer demand.
