McDonald’s 1980s Menu

Whether it was a hot apple pie, a strawberry shake (from an actual working ice cream machine), a “healthier” McDLT, a Happy Meal with toy surprise, the McDonalds we knew in the 80s was the high peak of the fast food experience. Do you remember the Menu Song? It was pressed onto floppy records you weighed down with a penny to play and included the full menu:

Big Mac, McDLT, a Quarter-Pounder with some cheese, Filet-O-Fish, a hamburger, a cheeseburger, a Happy Meal. McNuggets, tasty golden french fries, regular or larger size, and salads: chef or garden, or a chicken salad oriental. Big Breakfast, Egg McMuffin, hotcakes, and sausage. Maybe biscuits, bacon, egg and cheese, a sausage, danish, hash browns too. And for dessert hot apple pies, and sundaes three varieties, a soft-serve cone, three kinds of shakes, and chocolatey chip cookies. And to drink a Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, and orange drink, A Sprite and coffee, decaf too, A lowfat milk, also an orange juice. I love McDonald’s, good time great taste, and I get this all at one place…

But even if you didn’t warble that in the car on the way to a hamburger, you surely remember the anticipation of this American icon in a time when many families were beginning to afford a pay-day stop for fast food but didn’t make it a weekly or daily habit like so many do now. McDonalds was still a treat, still magical with its McDonaldland characters, and still in the good graces of the US of A.

A general American 80s menu at your local McDonald’s probably looked a lot like this:

Sandwiches:

Chicken McNuggets – 6, 9 or 20 piece ($1.30, $1.90, $3.90)

Big Mac ($1.35)

Quarter Pounder w/cheese ($1.40)

Quarter Pounder ($1.25)

Filet-O-Fish  ($0.95)

Cheeseburger  ($0.65)

Hamburger  ($0.55)

French Fries  ($0.55 / $0.75)

Beverages:

Coca Cola ($0.50 / $0.60 / $0.70)

Rootbeer  ($0.50 / $0.60 / $0.70)

Orange  ($0.50 / $0.60 / $0.70)

Diet Coke  ($0.50 / $0.60 / $0.70)

Shakes- Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry ($0.75)

Florida Orange Juice  ($0.45)

Lowfat Milk- 2%  ($0.45)

Iced tea   ($0.50 / $0.70)

Coffee  ($0.35 / $0.45)

Sanka  ($0.35)

Hot tea ($0.35)

Breakfast (6:30- 10:30 am):

Sausage McMuffin w/ egg  ($1.15)

Sausage McMuffin  ($0.89)

Egg McMuffin  ($1.15)

Scrambled Eggs  ($1.65)

Hot Cakes and Sausage  ($0.69)

Scrambled Eggs & English Muffin  ($0.79)

Hot Cakes  ($0.69)

Danish  ($0.65)

Hash Browns  ($0.45)

English Muffin w/Jam  ($0.45)

Desserts:

Hot Pie- apple or cherry  ($0.45)

Sundaes – hot fudge, hot caramel, strawberry  ($0.50)

Cone- soft serve  ($0.30)

McDonaldland Cookies  ($0.35)

Chocolatey Chip Cookies  ($0.45)

Gift Certificate   ($0.50)

Menu Items introduced in the 1980s:

Caramel Pecan Roll

Cheddar Melt

Chicken L.T.

Quarter Pounder Ranchero

McRib

Chicken McSwiss

Maple McCrisp

Shamrock Shakes

McNuggets Fiesta

Chicken McNuggets Shanghai

McPizza (1985 & 1987 versions))

Holiday Chicken McNuggets (w/ Cranberry Orange and Apple Spice sauce)

McD.L.T.

Lite Mac

McNugget sauces- Lousiana Style Hot & Jalapeno

Mcdonald’s Pizza (1989 re-release)

Garden Salad

Chef Salad

Chicken Salad Oriental

Sausage and Gravy Biscuit

Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit

Sundae Split

Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich

McSpaghetti

Chicken McNuggets!

Hot Cakes with Sausage

Fried Cherry pie