Brief
Vintage photos reveal McDonald’s 1970s menu and service style
Photos from the 1970s show how McDonald’s served burgers, introduced drive‑thrus and launched the Egg McMuffin.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Newly released vintage photographs illustrate what dining at McDonald’s was like in the 1970s, highlighting menu items, service methods and early innovations, Insider reported.
What happened
The images capture a period when McDonald’s, founded by Ray Kroc in 1955, had already sold over 6 billion burgers by 1970 and was expanding globally. Employees took orders by hand and passed tickets to the kitchen, with customers watching meals being assembled on the counter. Meals were served on plastic trays that diners carried to tables. The chain opened its first drive‑thru in 1975 after a franchisee in Sierra Vista, Arizona, modified his restaurant to bypass an Army regulation.
What the reports add
Insider notes that the first drive‑thru was created by knocking down a kitchen wall, a detail first reported by Fast Company. The outlet also details that Santa Barbara franchisee Herb Peterson invented the Egg McMuffin in 1971, testing a version of Eggs Benedict before adding cheese and Canadian bacon; the sandwich entered test markets in 1972 at 63 cents and went nationwide in 1975. Breakfast items expanded further in 1977 to include hotcakes, scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns.
What was said
Insider’s article quotes no external speakers, relying on historical description and photo captions.
How it came about
McDonald’s rapid growth in the 1960s—reaching 100 million burgers sold by 1958 and adopting the golden‑arch design—set the stage for the 1970s innovations documented in the photos. The drive‑thru and breakfast introductions marked a shift toward greater convenience and menu diversification, building on the franchise model Kroc established after buying out the McDonald brothers in 1961.
Key facts
- McDonald’s opened its first franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15, 1955. (insider.com)
- By 1970 the chain had sold over 6 billion burgers. (insider.com)
- The first McDonald’s drive‑thru opened in 1975 after a franchisee removed a kitchen wall in Sierra Vista, Arizona. (insider.com)
- Herb Peterson invented the Egg McMuffin in 1971; it launched nationwide in 1975. (insider.com)
- Breakfast items expanded in 1977 to include hotcakes, scrambled eggs, sausages and hash browns. (insider.com)
Sources
- [1] insider.com — originally reported as “Vintage photos show what it was like to eat at McDonald's in the 1970s”
