McDonald’s has been around for over 70 years, opening its first restaurant in 1940. With such an extensive history, McDonald’s menu has evolved greatly over the decades. However, there are some classic menu items that have stood the test of time. So what is the oldest item still found on McDonald’s menu today?
The History of McDonald’s
McDonald’s was founded in 1940 by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. They opened a small drive-in restaurant serving mainly barbecue food. In 1948, the McDonald brothers implemented their innovative “Speedee Service System” which utilized assembly line principles to maximize efficiency in the kitchen. This allowed them to sell hamburgers for only 15 cents, when the traditional price at the time was 30 cents. With this new system, McDonald’s was able to serve customers in only 30 seconds.
In 1955, Ray Kroc became a franchise agent for the McDonald brothers with the goal of expanding McDonald’s nationally. By 1958, Kroc had opened 100 McDonald’s restaurants and bought the exclusive rights to McDonald’s from the original founders. Kroc pushed for uniformity across all McDonald’s locations, implementing his vision for strict guidelines regarding food preparation and service. This ensured consistency for McDonald’s customers no matter which location they visited.
In the 1960s, McDonald’s introduced their iconic Ronald McDonald clown mascot which helped market McDonald’s towards children. New menu items like the Filet-O-Fish, Egg McMuffin, and McDonaldland Cookies emerged during this decade. As McDonald’s continued growing, the company expanded internationally opening locations in Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, Germany, and Australia. By the late 1960s, McDonald’s had over 1,000 restaurants.
The First McDonald’s Menu
When McDonald’s opened in 1940, the original menu was quite simple compared to today. It consisted of mainly barbecue staples like:
- Barbecued beef sandwiches
- Barbecued pork sandwiches
- Barbecued or fried chicken
- French fries
- Soft drinks
- Pies (added in 1948)
Once the Speedee Service System was implemented in 1948 to maximize efficiency, the McDonald brothers pared down the menu to focus just on burgers, fries, soft drinks, and milkshakes. The signature burgers were 15 cents and you could get a burger, fries, and a milkshake for only 35 cents at the time.
The Oldest Surviving McDonald’s Menu Item
Out of all the original McDonald’s menu items from the 1940s and 1950s, remarkably one has managed to survive unchanged over the decades. That oldest menu item still available today is none other than McDonald’s classic french fries!
The original McDonald’s fries were cut from whole potatoes into 1/4 inch strips and fried in a vegetable oil blend until golden brown and crispy on the outside while fluffy on the inside. Seasoned with just a touch of salt after coming out of the fryer, McDonald’s french fries have maintained the same preparation method and ingredients over the years.
Even while new potato products like hash browns and potato wedges have been added to the menu, the traditional McDonald’s french fry remains a staple. It is still one of the most popular menu choices, accounting for about 25% of all McDonald’s sales. Over 11 billion pounds of fries are sold annually!
Changes to the French Fries Over the Years
While the core recipe remains unchanged, there have been some slight tweaks to the fries over the decades:
- Mid-1960s – Fries were changed from being made with fresh potatoes to frozen potatoes for transport consistency across franchises.
- 1990 – Vegetable oil blend changed to be lower in saturated fat by swapping various oils.
- 2008 – Fries went from being cooked in 90% beef tallow/10% cottonseed oil to 100% vegetable oil with hydrogenated soybean and canola oil blend.
There was significant backlash when the fries were changed to non-beef tallow in the 1990s. Consumers complained that the fries lost their signature taste. McDonald’s did add natural beef flavoring back into the new vegetable oil recipe to compensate.
While the oil swap decreased fat and calories, some argue the fries are just not as tasty as they were with beef tallow. However, the fries remain ever popular and are still the top selling item.
Why Have McDonald’s French Fries Endured?
There are several reasons why McDonald’s french fries have endured as the oldest menu item when so many other original foods like the barbecue sandwiches were long ago discontinued:
- Mass Popularity – They have been a top selling menu item since the beginning, so there is no reason for McDonald’s to get rid of such a successful product. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
- Brand Recognition – The fries are iconic and part of McDonald’s brand identity. The Golden Arches are incomplete without some fries to go along with them.
- Versatile Side – French fries make the perfect accompaniment to balance any burger, sandwich, or entree item. They have universal appeal as a shareable side.
- Profit Margins – Potatoes offer a tasty product with high profit margins for the low costs of the ingredients.
As long as french fries remain a top performing menu item in terms of popularity and profits, McDonald’s will surely continue serving up this classic staple just as they have for over 80 years.
Other Classic McDonald’s Menu Items
While the fries take the crown for oldest menu item, there are some other beloved McDonald’s offerings that have survived largely unchanged since the early years:
Hamburger
The humble hamburger was part of the original 1948 menu when the McDonald brothers pared down offerings to focus on burgers, fries, and shakes. The McDonald’s hamburger starts with 100% pure beef and is garnished simply with ketchup, mustard, onions, and pickles on a toasted bun. The current price of $.99 makes it one of the most affordable sandwiches.
Cheeseburger
Adding an extra slice of melty American cheese gives you the classic cheeseburger. It debuted in the late 1950s and remains a go-to sandwich. The added cheese brings the current price up slightly to $1.29, but it’s still an economical choice.
Big Mac
The Big Mac was created in 1967 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and quickly grew popular nationwide thanks to an advertising campaign. Its signature stacked two-patty build with “special sauce” sets it apart. While the price has increased over time, the ingredients in the Big Mac remain the same today.
McDonald’s Shakes
Thick and creamy vanilla shakes were on the original 1948 menu. Chocolate was added as an option in 1955. The shakes are still made with soft serve ice cream blended with syrup. Prices have gone up over the years from 10 cents to around $2-3, but the recipe endures.
Discontinued Vintage McDonald’s Menu Items
For a nostalgia trip, let’s take a look back at some beloved McDonald’s menu items that are no longer available:
McDonaldland Cookies
These sweet sugar cookies were introduced in 1977 and available in flavored varieties like vanilla, chocolate chip, and rainbow sprinkles. The cookies were branded with McDonaldland characters and dispensed from special McDonalds cookie jars. Sadly, they were discontinued in the 1980s.
McPizza
In the 1980s and 1990s, select McDonald’s locations offered a McDonald’s branded pizza. The personal-size pizzas came in flavors like cheese, sausage, and supreme. But the need for special pizza ovens at some restaurants made large-scale distribution a challenge and the pizza was taken off the menu in the 2000s.
McHotDog
McDonald’s tested hot dogs on their menu periodically from the 1990s into the 2000s. The hot dogs were a grilled all-beef frank in a bun with ketchup, mustard, onions, and relish. But the hot dogs never quite caught on and were removed from the permanent menu.
McSoup
To appeal to more health-conscious diners, McDonald’s expanded into hearty soups in the 2000s like broccoli cheese, chicken noodle, and cream of chicken. But the soups were ultimately discontinued due to not fitting the brand identity. Focus returned to burgers and fries.
While certain vintage items are gone, at least we still have the original french fries! The potatoes remain a hot commodity.
Nutritional Information for McDonald’s French Fries
Now let’s take a look at the nutrition facts for a standard medium order of McDonald’s french fries:
| Nutrition Facts | Medium French Fries |
|---|---|
| Calories | 410 |
| Total Fat | 19g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Sodium | 190mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 44g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4g |
| Sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 5g |
As we can see, a medium order of fries packs quite a punch with 410 calories and 19 grams of fat. The sodium content is also elevated at 190mg per serving.
French fries are considered a high glycemic food with a glycemic load around 33. This means they cause more rapid spikes in blood sugar compared to lower glycemic foods like sweet potatoes.
Overall, french fries are a delicious treat to enjoy in moderation as part of an overall balanced diet. The increased calories, fat, sodium, and glycemic impact should be considered by individuals monitoring these factors in their diets.
Ordering Tips for Healthier McDonald’s French Fries
There are some easy ways to lighten up your fry order at McDonald’s:
- Choose a small fry instead of medium or large to cut calories and fat.
- Opt for the no salt added fries to reduce sodium intake.
- Share your fries with someone else at the table to reduce your own portion size.
- Dip fries lightly in ketchup instead of dunking to save calories and sodium from excess sauce.
- Substitute a side salad or sliced apples instead of fries for a healthier side.
Being mindful about portion size and condiment use can help keep your french fry indulgence a little healthier. But don’t deprive yourself either – fries are okay in moderation!
The Future of McDonald’s French Fries
McDonald’s french fries have come a long way from their early days asSpeedee Service potato strips, but they remain just as popular today. So what does the future hold for this classic menu item?
Expect to keep seeing innovative spin-off fry varieties like waffle fries and curly fries pop up on McDonald’s menus. Specialty dipping sauces beyond ketchup will also continue being tested as menu additions.
However, the original recipe for those standard straight-cut french fries is unlikely to change anytime soon. Customers would surely revolt if McDonald’s ever altered that beloved core fry recipe. The taste of childhood and tradition will remain!
Of course, as trends come and go, tweaks to the fry recipe and cooking method may happen down the line. But in all likelihood, those Golden Arches will continue cranking out millions of orders of french fries just as customers love them.
McDonald’s built their empire on the back of the french fry. This humble spud has outlived all other original menu items to persist as the reigning oldest item still available today. So next time you enjoy an order of hot, crispy McDonald’s fries, take a moment to appreciate just how far back this history goes!