World’s Oldest McDonald’s Looks Trapped in the 1950s

Eating at the world’s oldest McDonald’s is like entering a time capsule that was assembled sometime in the 1950s.

Where Is The World’s Oldest McDonald’s?

The Downey, California, location has been operating since 1953, nearly five years after the company was founded.

According to Newsweek, the Downey McDonald’s was the third restaurant franchised by Richard and Maurice McDonald, who originally founded the chain.

A sign on the building reminds burger-seekers that hamburgers cost 15 cents and French fries were only 12 cents when McDonald’s first opened at that location in 1953.

Besides the food prices, not much has changed at the restaurant in the past 70 years.

The outside still has a retro-looking sign with the Chef Speedee character on top, welcoming customers. The restaurant is also a walk-up stand where diners walk up to the counter on the outside of the building.

Earthquake Heavily Damages McDonald’s

The Downey McDonald’s went through some hard times in the mid-1990s when it sustained heavy damage from an earthquake. It took two years before burgers would be served again.

Customers coming to the reopened McDonald’s were treated to an expansive remodel that included a small indoor dining area and a museum connected to the original burger stand.

READ MORE: 28 Retro McDonald’s Items You Rarely See (And Some You’ve Never Seen)

Museum exhibits include everything from the evolution of soft drink cups to a life-size statue of the restaurant’s Mac Tonight mascot from the late 1980s.

Here is what the world’s oldest McDonald’s looks like today: