Georgia Dixon
Food & Wine

See McDonald’s first ever menu

These days, you can find thousands of McDonald’s restaurants in just about every country on the planet, but if it weren’t for its first ever store, which opened 77 years ago today, we might never have been introduced to the Big Mac.

While today the restaurant serves around 68 million customers a day, back in 1940 at their San Bernardino, California store, Dick and Mac McDonald likely had a slightly smaller customer base.

To celebrate the chain’s birthday, The Sun has dug up the original McDonald’s menu, and it’s a lot different – and a lot cheaper – than you might be used to.

The brothers sold just two types of burgers (a “pure beef hamburger” and a “tempting cheeseburger”), their legendary fries, and six drink options – all for less than 20 cents a pop.

Three years later, their menu had already expanded.

Not only were they serving their classic burgers (albeit for a few cents extra), but added peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hamburger steaks, tamales and chili with fries and ham and baked beans. Still, nothing cost more than 60 cents at the most.

Today, the US McDonald’s menu boasts around 145 items, with regional variants on offer around the country and around the world. Some international foods on offer include a Nutella burger in Italy, churros in South Korea, a “Veggie Crunch” burger in Singapore and McNoodles in Austria.

Do you remember visiting McDonalds when you were a child? How has it changed for you since then? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Tags:
food, restaurant, fast food, McDonald's, chain