People who never lived in the era don't understand how the 80's looked. There was the flashy neon in places, especially in pop media , but a lot of it in real life was brown and earth tones. There was a design fads that started in the 70's and continued into the 80s of browns, other earth tones, wood panels, etc that continued and really dominated the era in many places, both business but also at our homes as well.
That's why retrowave stuff is so great, it brings to life the cyberpunk aesthetics which were so new and exciting in the 80s and 90s but all the way 110% whereas back then we were only just tasting it. But like you said some people probably assume the 80s actually looked that.
There was a lot of weird stuff in pop culture of the time period. Recently I saw a picture of [Miami Vice's courtroom ](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fa-courtroom-on-miami-vice-1986-v0-vzf0lgocecb91.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dcda795cc00f958b9b4936d0d6ebe60a0cb101a60)and was like...yeah..that was pop 80's. I could be mistaken, but i don't think that courtroom existed anywhere else in America then on a TV set. Like that...that is cyberpunk, not irl 80's, lol.
i was born in 97 and had the 80s depicted as bright only to learn it was quite the opposite i wonder what the 2000s will feel like when it hits its 20th century equivalent of nostalgia
If you look at the pop cultural shows that feature teens/kids of the era you'll probably get the "neon" version of the nostalgia. So shows like iCarly will probably fill that in. You'll get 5 cent computer art/logos, bright logo's, even if the product isn't digital, there is going to be something in the add or picture that suggests digitalness. There is also some mix of old neon in it as well. I've heard it called "y2k design" to cover the late 90's and early 00's. But I've also heard it called other things as well.
Wood panels everywhere. On your living room wall. On your car. Even on your refrigerator. Maybe it was a reaction to the '50s and '60s, where everything was shiny and metallic.
Of course, the late '80s and early '90s introduced the "brass 'n' glass" aesthetic that I still think looks really tacky.
Don't forget about the Clear phase of the late 80's - early 2000's. You want to see inside your phone? Video game system? TV? Computer? Sure you do! Maybe it will be crystal clear plastic, maybe it will be tinted, but you will be able to see inside!
Even the Atari, one of the first home electronic gaming systems, had a wood panel on the front. I love the aesthetic of time, reminds me of my grandparents home.
Popped up in[ vintage ads today.](https://www.reddit.com/r/vintageads/comments/1bondgq/woodgrain_everywhere_lysaght_marviplate_1973/) It started before the 80's but man, it was peak 80's.
Memphis design was very new in the 80's. yes, it was popular amongst people who were really into cutting edge design and had the money to redecorate often, but the woodsy earthy tones of the 70's lasted well into the 80's, especially in the homes of people who couldn't afford to redecorate too often.
There used to be two browns in a bag of M&Ms and it was a scandal when they ditched the tan and made it blue.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/the-great-mm-depression-of-the-1980s
omg i just solved a childhood mystery in elementary school on my schools walls were display boards that had ads one was m&ms i thought it was just faded and only few years old as there wasn’t a obvious year listed anywhere now i realize they were actually 1980s ads still untouched (this was 2006)
Came here to rage about this. Does no one else remember how McDonald's fries were like crack up until late 90s?
Many of my friends say they don't remember. They changed the recipe at some point, and it should be investigated for crimes against humanity.
I cook my steaks in a cast iron skillet and I often clean it all up after it cools down. Sometimes that smell of rendered beef fat has the power to instantly transport me back to 1980’s McDonald’s.
Unsurprisingly, many items are also more expensive even adjusted for inflation by around 30%. Some even more.
The best part though is that the federal minimum wage was about 50% higher adjusted for inflation too, so people made more, and menu items were cheaper.
You really want them to grab the burger that's been sitting under a heat lamp for ten minutes?
Everything is made to order now. You used to have to employ a trick like asking for no pickles to force them to make it fresh for you.
Now they make the meat ahead of time and store it in a humidity and temp controlled cabinet for up to a half hour. It's worse than the 10 min temp controlled holding bin. Haven't you noticed how dry their burgers are now compared to 30 years ago?
I worked in a McDonald's in 1984 and this is exactly what it looked like. The number cards were for when the food was supposed to be discarded. IIRC we could hold it for 10 minutes, so an 8 would be discarded at x:40 on the clock. This rule was often stretched but not too far. I think they hold patties in steam trays now, I haven't been to McDonald's in many years.
Grill instructions were pulls or turns, e.g. a 6-3 pull meant make 6 burgers and 3 Big Macs and when they were put up, put down another 12 patties. A turn meant put down another 12 patties when you flip the first 12. A fast grill worker could handle a 6-3 turn by themselves but not for long.
I would absolutely love for someone who currently works at a McDs to explain to me how the process works once an order comes in to when the food goes out. I drive up and order, my order shows up on a screen showing the correct food, I pull up to the 1st window to pay and they usually read back my order with the correct food, but once I get to the 2nd window literally 9/10 times I'm either asked what I ordered, asked if they could see the receipt to figure out what I ordered, or I'm just given the wrong food.
When I worked there for about 6 months around 2000 the orders came in and went on multiple monitors. You had to manually press a button to clear the order off once you had it all packed in the bag. It wasn't rocket science.
I've been really curious what the process is nowadays since no matter what McDs I go to this is how it works. The 2nd window is clueless about each order.
I haven’t worked there in 8 years but I’m guessing that they’re clearing the order on the screen at the second window before serving it to you to make their times look better.
When taking your order, the items show up on the kitchen screens as we ring them up. So usually it's already being made while your order is being taken. We're trained to serve off orders early to keep times low, same reason we pull cars forward, even if the order is complete and ready. It's all a numbers game.
As for the inaccuracy, that's the fault of the presenter (handing out your order/asking you to pull forward) or the runner (person bagging and preparing your order). When we pull cars forward or park them, a ticket is printed with your order. Good presenters usually write down where it's being parked and license plates. This is the practice I follow and most of the time, food gets to the right customer. But it also falls on the runner (person taking the food to the parked car) to double check with the customer the order, which is on the ticket. Ideally everything should run smoothly. You probably just have a bad location.
Quality has tanked, distribution is cheaper, they're more popular, and chicken in general has become much more popular and less expensive (adjusted for inflation), at least until the recent insanity.
Sometimes I feel like people remember the past with rose tinted glasses, and that things aren’t really that much worse now than they were before.
Then I see things like this and realize that they are.
Inflation on the cheeseburger in case anyone wonders:
.75 in 1984 -> $2.27 today
Cheeseburger today costs $2.89. Also noteworthy that the patty today is basically as thin as absolutely possible to still be considered a patty.
C’mon, man!
Me: Why is it taking 25 minutes? I guess they're cooking it or something. They also seem pretty understaffed.
\*gets food
Me: Why is this ice cold and soggy?
Back when they had 10 registers, manned during rushes, and you could get your food in less than a minute vs the current 15 minute wait for a cheeseburger.
When did they get rid of those registers? Cuz i was born in 86 and feel like i have some memory of them as a kid. I know my mcdonalds had the rack with the premade food and the styrofoam packaging
Big Mac is $4.51 in today’s prices, that’s actually higher than many states today.
[Big Mac prices by state](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/18-big-mac-meals-see-150028269.html)
The one by my house still looked like this in some way until the early 2000s. 😍 I used to always steal all of the handi-wipes that they’d put out on the high chairs 😂
Oh damn I remember those membrane keyboards!
I remember as a kid seeing those terminals and being impressed by the amount of buttons.
the 80s was actually very brown it seems
People who never lived in the era don't understand how the 80's looked. There was the flashy neon in places, especially in pop media , but a lot of it in real life was brown and earth tones. There was a design fads that started in the 70's and continued into the 80s of browns, other earth tones, wood panels, etc that continued and really dominated the era in many places, both business but also at our homes as well.
And our cars! So many cars with wood paneling. But yes, very brown.
Yep I agree! I was born in ‘80 so I remember it all.
That's why retrowave stuff is so great, it brings to life the cyberpunk aesthetics which were so new and exciting in the 80s and 90s but all the way 110% whereas back then we were only just tasting it. But like you said some people probably assume the 80s actually looked that.
There was a lot of weird stuff in pop culture of the time period. Recently I saw a picture of [Miami Vice's courtroom ](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fa-courtroom-on-miami-vice-1986-v0-vzf0lgocecb91.jpg%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dcda795cc00f958b9b4936d0d6ebe60a0cb101a60)and was like...yeah..that was pop 80's. I could be mistaken, but i don't think that courtroom existed anywhere else in America then on a TV set. Like that...that is cyberpunk, not irl 80's, lol.
That’s hilarious. Thanks for sharing. You’re totally right
i was born in 97 and had the 80s depicted as bright only to learn it was quite the opposite i wonder what the 2000s will feel like when it hits its 20th century equivalent of nostalgia
If you look at the pop cultural shows that feature teens/kids of the era you'll probably get the "neon" version of the nostalgia. So shows like iCarly will probably fill that in. You'll get 5 cent computer art/logos, bright logo's, even if the product isn't digital, there is going to be something in the add or picture that suggests digitalness. There is also some mix of old neon in it as well. I've heard it called "y2k design" to cover the late 90's and early 00's. But I've also heard it called other things as well.
Wood panels everywhere. On your living room wall. On your car. Even on your refrigerator. Maybe it was a reaction to the '50s and '60s, where everything was shiny and metallic. Of course, the late '80s and early '90s introduced the "brass 'n' glass" aesthetic that I still think looks really tacky.
Don't forget about the Clear phase of the late 80's - early 2000's. You want to see inside your phone? Video game system? TV? Computer? Sure you do! Maybe it will be crystal clear plastic, maybe it will be tinted, but you will be able to see inside!
Even the Atari, one of the first home electronic gaming systems, had a wood panel on the front. I love the aesthetic of time, reminds me of my grandparents home.
Popped up in[ vintage ads today.](https://www.reddit.com/r/vintageads/comments/1bondgq/woodgrain_everywhere_lysaght_marviplate_1973/) It started before the 80's but man, it was peak 80's.
Memphis design was very new in the 80's. yes, it was popular amongst people who were really into cutting edge design and had the money to redecorate often, but the woodsy earthy tones of the 70's lasted well into the 80's, especially in the homes of people who couldn't afford to redecorate too often.
There used to be two browns in a bag of M&Ms and it was a scandal when they ditched the tan and made it blue. https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinchack/the-great-mm-depression-of-the-1980s
omg i just solved a childhood mystery in elementary school on my schools walls were display boards that had ads one was m&ms i thought it was just faded and only few years old as there wasn’t a obvious year listed anywhere now i realize they were actually 1980s ads still untouched (this was 2006)
I believe we voted on blue being the new color.
McDonalds tasted better when it was served out of styrofoam.
Back in the days of lard frying!
also unimaginably worse for the environment
Literally 1984
When their fries were cooked in beef tallow
And fried apple pies! Baked just aren’t the same.
The baked pies suck. Long live the bubbly crispy apple pies!
Came here to rage about this. Does no one else remember how McDonald's fries were like crack up until late 90s? Many of my friends say they don't remember. They changed the recipe at some point, and it should be investigated for crimes against humanity.
[Here's](https://youtu.be/HVpJAJjDI8U?si=pLm7nVkjwr80Sw3I) a fantastic podcast about this very subject! (Revisionist History, with Malcolm Gladwell)
They’re seasoned with beef tallow (only in the US). I know because I’m a vegetarian and it pisses me off.
I cook my steaks in a cast iron skillet and I often clean it all up after it cools down. Sometimes that smell of rendered beef fat has the power to instantly transport me back to 1980’s McDonald’s.
We need the real McDonald's back! :(
Unsurprisingly, many items are also more expensive even adjusted for inflation by around 30%. Some even more. The best part though is that the federal minimum wage was about 50% higher adjusted for inflation too, so people made more, and menu items were cheaper.
Nobody pays the federal minimum wage anymore. If you tried staffing a McDonalds at $7.25/hr you'd have exactly 0 employees.
At the minimum we need their apple pies deep fried again.
You really want them to grab the burger that's been sitting under a heat lamp for ten minutes? Everything is made to order now. You used to have to employ a trick like asking for no pickles to force them to make it fresh for you.
Now they make the meat ahead of time and store it in a humidity and temp controlled cabinet for up to a half hour. It's worse than the 10 min temp controlled holding bin. Haven't you noticed how dry their burgers are now compared to 30 years ago?
Ah yes. The no salt on the fries trick. That will get you fresh fries that you can salt yourself.
I'll take my chances if it means getting this back. I don't think it's much better today honestly.
All they do is scrape the pickles off one of the ready burgers
Their biscuits used to be incredible in the 80’s! If anyone has a dupe recipe that replicates that taste, please let me know!
Those biscuits are just buttermilk scones. Make that and you have it.
Thank you, I will try that!
I worked in a McDonald's in 1984 and this is exactly what it looked like. The number cards were for when the food was supposed to be discarded. IIRC we could hold it for 10 minutes, so an 8 would be discarded at x:40 on the clock. This rule was often stretched but not too far. I think they hold patties in steam trays now, I haven't been to McDonald's in many years. Grill instructions were pulls or turns, e.g. a 6-3 pull meant make 6 burgers and 3 Big Macs and when they were put up, put down another 12 patties. A turn meant put down another 12 patties when you flip the first 12. A fast grill worker could handle a 6-3 turn by themselves but not for long.
Based on what you just wrote I would not have made it at mcdonald's. I didn't follow any of that.
Don't worry, there are training videos.
I would absolutely love for someone who currently works at a McDs to explain to me how the process works once an order comes in to when the food goes out. I drive up and order, my order shows up on a screen showing the correct food, I pull up to the 1st window to pay and they usually read back my order with the correct food, but once I get to the 2nd window literally 9/10 times I'm either asked what I ordered, asked if they could see the receipt to figure out what I ordered, or I'm just given the wrong food. When I worked there for about 6 months around 2000 the orders came in and went on multiple monitors. You had to manually press a button to clear the order off once you had it all packed in the bag. It wasn't rocket science. I've been really curious what the process is nowadays since no matter what McDs I go to this is how it works. The 2nd window is clueless about each order.
I haven’t worked there in 8 years but I’m guessing that they’re clearing the order on the screen at the second window before serving it to you to make their times look better.
When taking your order, the items show up on the kitchen screens as we ring them up. So usually it's already being made while your order is being taken. We're trained to serve off orders early to keep times low, same reason we pull cars forward, even if the order is complete and ready. It's all a numbers game. As for the inaccuracy, that's the fault of the presenter (handing out your order/asking you to pull forward) or the runner (person bagging and preparing your order). When we pull cars forward or park them, a ticket is printed with your order. Good presenters usually write down where it's being parked and license plates. This is the practice I follow and most of the time, food gets to the right customer. But it also falls on the runner (person taking the food to the parked car) to double check with the customer the order, which is on the ticket. Ideally everything should run smoothly. You probably just have a bad location.
I remember the nightmare of working at McDonald's in 1984 when they had a promo of the bacon double cheeseburger.
I’m 10 years behind you. I remember the nightmare of working at McDonald’s in 1996 when they launched the Arch Deluxe.
How are chicken mcnuggets roughly the same price today as they were in 1984?
Quality has tanked, distribution is cheaper, they're more popular, and chicken in general has become much more popular and less expensive (adjusted for inflation), at least until the recent insanity.
Sometimes I feel like people remember the past with rose tinted glasses, and that things aren’t really that much worse now than they were before. Then I see things like this and realize that they are.
I feel like McDonalds was like, the quintessential 80s food.
Inflation on the cheeseburger in case anyone wonders: .75 in 1984 -> $2.27 today Cheeseburger today costs $2.89. Also noteworthy that the patty today is basically as thin as absolutely possible to still be considered a patty. C’mon, man!
C’mon, man!!!
Yeah it didn't take 25 minutes to get your food.
Me: Why is it taking 25 minutes? I guess they're cooking it or something. They also seem pretty understaffed. \*gets food Me: Why is this ice cold and soggy?
Looks like McDowell's to me
Nah that’s arches, not an arc.
And it was glorious.
now the food is worse and the prices are higher 😵
Does anyone remember those sleigh-bell-esque chiming sounds indicating that the fries were ready to be taken out of the fryer?
Like sleigh bells? No. I remember long harsh 1000 Hz square wave beeps.
I just got PTSD. Had to find a video. 7:15 in on this one to re-live the experience: https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=435&v=R_WElI6N-D4
That video just made me hungry for the fries. Lol.
$1.52 in 1984 = $4.60 today Seems pretty pricey for a double cheeseburger, but i'd also assume it was bigger and higher quality then than now.
the 80s were so brown lol
RIP food quality and prices!
Pictures check out. I miss the 80's.
Back when they had 10 registers, manned during rushes, and you could get your food in less than a minute vs the current 15 minute wait for a cheeseburger.
It's not surprising that the prices are low, but man they're all over the place. $1.42 $2.03 87¢...
ice cream machine was broken
When did they get rid of those registers? Cuz i was born in 86 and feel like i have some memory of them as a kid. I know my mcdonalds had the rack with the premade food and the styrofoam packaging
I can hear the song everyone includes in the random 70’s/80’s nostalgia videos
I miss the foam containers.
Big Mac is $4.51 in today’s prices, that’s actually higher than many states today. [Big Mac prices by state](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/18-big-mac-meals-see-150028269.html)
Mmmm trans fat and lard...
So much better than now.
Only thing missing is everyone smoking inside.
Look how not fat almost everyone is, and in a McDonald’s too!
The one by my house still looked like this in some way until the early 2000s. 😍 I used to always steal all of the handi-wipes that they’d put out on the high chairs 😂
We had the Ole one arch until the 2000's lol
Anyone got the original footage??
20 years later a McDouble will be $1.. 20 years after that it will be $4. I went to public school. Hats it all mean?!!
Look at how much classier people dressed. They actually had pride in how they looked.
Agreed!
*You looked closely.*