McDonald's is one of the UK's most popular fast food chains and has approximately 1,200 restaurants across the country. While much remains the same from the first UK branch opening almost 40 years ago, there are also many aspects of the company which have changed over the years.
Here we look back at 10 features which the Manchester Evening News reports were once commonplace in McDonald's. Did you ever enjoy a McDonald's pizza or attend a birthday party in the children's area? Let us know in the comments below.
McDonald's Pizza
McDonald's sold pizzas for a limited period in some restaurants in the mid 1990s as part of a sales and product test. Each pizza was eight inches across and cut into four slices. However, the product did not last long and on their website McDonald's say they have no plans to reintroduce pizza to their menu.
Polystyrene burger boxes
A necessary change for environmental reasons, McDonald's dropped foam packaging from their burgers in 1990. In 2018 the company also did away with polystyrene cups.
McDonald's Playgrounds
Some restaurants had a playground in the 80s and 90s and there are reddit users who recall some McDonald's having a ball pit. They have long become a thing of the past due to a focus on providing more seating and lower land costs. However, McDonald's has built playgrounds in the grounds of various Ronald McDonald Houses in the UK, made from recycled materials, for families to enjoy while taking care of their seriously ill children.
Ronald McDonald and Friends
Ronald McDonald is the chain's clown mascot who inhabits the fictional world of McDonaldland. Once a staple on British TV adverts in the 80s and 90s, these days you rarely see the clown with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids.
Ronald McDonald benches
Some branches in the UK had benches outside where you could sit next to a statue of Ronald McDonald with his arm around you.
When McDonald's restaurants were red, yellow and white
For several decades red, yellow and white were the dominant colours adorning the outside of the restaurant. These days, European branches are usually decked out in a more muted green and yellow branding.
Having a birthday party in the children's area
For many years most restaurants would contain a section with decor aimed at children. These areas would often be designated for birthday parties.
Classic McDonald's menu
Although many of the items on this classic McDonald's menu are still staple elements of the menu today, the prices have changed and the days of getting 12p off an 89p Big Mac for eating it outside are long gone.
1990s Happy Meals
Happy Meals did not make it to the UK until 1986 and toys from the '80s and '90s have become much sought-after collectors items. Many McDonald's Happy Meals are in collaboration with big name movies or toys offering themed merchandise such as Star Wars, Lego, and Toy Story.
Classic McDonald's uniforms
Unlike the modern polo shirt and baseball caps sported by today's McDonald's employees, uniforms back in the 1980s featured striped shirts and small sharply cornered hats, reminiscent of what you see in a classic American diner.
McDonald's ashtrays
Until the indoor smoking ban for pubs, shops and restaurants came into force in the UK in 2006, you would likely see one of these ashtrays at every table in your local McDonald's. Some were made of aluminium while others were made of glass.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
