In The 1950s You Could Buy McDonald's Entire Menu For Under $2
In 1940, brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald established a barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, California they called simply "McDonald's." Originally offering things like barbecued pork, chili, and ham and beans, they changed their model in 1948, after the brothers noticed burgers were the most popular item on the menu. Following a three-month closure for remodeling, they reopened with a nine-item menu featuring a burger that cost just 15 cents.
In fact, all the items on the menu cost less than a quarter, which was inexpensive even for the time. The cheapest item on their original barbecue menu was a coffee for just 5 cents, and the most expensive was a barbecued plate or a hamburger steak for 60 cents. While the price of coffee under the new model doubled at a whopping 10 cents, dessert was a 20-cent vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry milkshake. A year later, in 1949, McDonald's legendary french fries replaced potato chips on the menu at 10 cents per serving.
The McDonald brothers were able to offer this refreshed menu at such reasonable prices due to their new Speedee Service System. Inspired by Ford Motor Company's assembly lines, this system allowed workers to crank out hamburgers and cheeseburgers very quickly. Once made, the burgers were placed under warming lamps so they were ready when customers arrived. This meant customers could drive away with a full meal just minutes after ordering. Ultimately, this model thrived and eventually led to thousands of McDonald's locations opening worldwide.
How much would it cost to buy McDonald's modern menu?
In 1949, anyone lucky enough to have a $5 bill in their pocket could purchase McDonald's entire menu four times, with change for a fe extra items. In addition to $0.15 hamburgers, $0.20 milkshakes, and $0.10 coffee, you could also get a cheeseburger for $0.19, and french fries, milk, root beer, orangeade, or Coca Cola for just $0.10 each. These nine prices add up to a total of $1.14. Adjusted for inflation, that's the equivalent of around $15 in August of 2024. Getting nine equivalent items from McDonald's 2024 menu costs a little over $20.00, about $6.00 more than the inflation estimate.
Nearly eight decades later, McDonald's menu has expanded to over 50 items, including all nine items from the 1949 menu, or modern equivalents. For instance, orangeade has been replaced by Fanta Orange drink, and McDonald's now offers chocolate milk in addition to regular milk. The menu also has cappuccinos and other espresso-based coffee along with its plain cup of joe. The prices of its items have also expanded with the times — if you were to purchase one of each item available on the modern McDonald's menu, the total would be just under $600.
McDonald's classic menu items — when did they appear, and what did they cost?
Other McDonald's mainstays, such as the Big Mac, egg McMuffin, and the Happy Meal, didn't appear on the menu until decades later. The Big Mac was first introduced in 1968, and cost just $0.49, the equivalent of $4.43, though the cost of the item as of August 2024 is about $7. Seven years after the Big Mac, in 1975, the egg McMuffin made its debut as McDonald's first ever breakfast offering. It cost just $0.63, or around $4 in today's money.
In 1979, McDonald's innovated the menu for parents and children alike with the Happy Meal, which included a hamburger, fries, soft drink, cookies, and a small toy, and for just $1.10. Today, kids can choose a hamburger Happy Meal, or decide between four and six-piece chicken McNuggets. These modern meals also include more nutritious options like apple slices and milk, juice, or water instead of soda.
Though its original price of $1.10 translates to approximately $5 in today's dollars, a Happy Meal in 2024 is priced between $6.99 and $8.29. It seems that customers have adjusted through time to accept today's, though, since McDonald's still regularly sells more than 70 burgers per second from various locations around the globe.