Watching footage of abandoned buildings can be an eerie way to spend an evening, especially when it’s not just a nondescript warehouse or dilapidated manor house.
When it’s something more recognisable it’s doubly spooky. With that in mind, check out this abandoned Alaskan McDonald’s, frozen in time.
The footage was shared by YouTuber and photographer Chris Luckhardt, and it shows what remains of the McDonald’s on Adak Island that was abandoned in 1994.
Adak Island is a pretty remote spot, with just 274.59 square miles to it and a population of around 150 people. It has previously served as a US military base during WW2 and the Cold War.
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Frankly, it’s no wonder a McDonald’s struggled to thrive with such a limited customer base, but it was a big deal for residents at the time.
"We were there from 1984 to 1986," said a comment on the YouTube video. "I remember how excited we all were when the McDonald's was built. It was a real morale booster!"
Among the general intrigue of a McDonald’s that last flipped a burger over 30 years ago, the menu prices have had people talking.
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"Did McNuggets really used to cost that much?" asked one modern-day Maccies expert.
Of course, prices have been rising at an alarming rate in the post-Covid years thanks to rampant inflation, so the comparison is even more jarring than it might have been just five years back.
Luckhardt (or @chrisluckhardt on Instagram) noticed a fun detail that placed the age of this forgotten fast food franchise: it featured the ‘dino-size’ fries as a tie-in to the 1994 cinema release of Jurassic Park.
Back then, a Big Mac was priced at $4.59 (£3.60), six chicken nuggets cost $2.35 (£1.85), and a kids hamburger Happy Meal was priced at $3.36 (£2.65).
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Brace yourself for today’s prices: a Big Mac now costs $8.39 (£6.62), six chicken nuggets will cost you $4.79 (£3.78), and a Happy Meal costs $5.99 (£4.72).
Adak Island’s kids in 1994 would have enjoyed a toy tie-in from Bobby’s World, itself a long-forgotten animated series that first aired between 1990 and 1998 on Fox Kids and followed the adventures of an imaginative five-year-old.
The breakfast menu is full of relics too, such as an egg McMuffin priced at $1.95 (£1.54). Today, one of those tasty treats will set you back by $3.99 (£3.15).
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When Luckhardt shared the clips on TikTok, one user commented: "I miss those prices, McDonald’s has jokes with what they charge for meals now."
It’s important to remember that, along with prices increasing, salaries have also increased dramatically over the past 30 years, so the buying power of £3 is considerably weaker now than it was back then.
Nevertheless, it’s fun to imagine ordering enough Maccies for a family of four for less than £15.
"Hey, does anyone remember they had like 39 cent cheeseburger days every now and then?" Asked another.
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Does anyone remember when being a university student meant you could get a free cheeseburger?
Another added the sobering note: "Two Happy Meals now adds up to almost $18 (£13.67)."
Rachael Davis