Thanks so much for tagging along with me today . If you missed the previous video you can see it here kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eLyUqMeq0Le-ZZs.html . Also my Instagram name is AdamTheWooATW

Hope they never demolish it or “remodel it”

Why does a building from decades ago suddenly look so futuristic?

Adam, I grew up in that area. We were extremely poor and lack of food was the norm. When this McD's opened, I'll never forget going over there. We paid .10 for burgers, .15 for cheeseburgers, .10 for fries, .10 for beverages. The five of us ate and ate and ate and ate.....and then my dad actually said, "I'm getting more. Who wants more?" It was SO GOOD and I had never had that much food at one time in my life. It was a day none of us have ever forgotten. We had relatives in Downey on Brunache (not far from Firestone and Stewart & Gray.) We lived in Maywood on Everett Ave as well as in Huntington Park on Hollenbeck.

Going to this particular McDonald's is like taking a time machine into 1953! May this one never go away.

"I'm sorry, we stopped serving breakfast in 1959"

I`m 62 I use to eat there when they opened. Two cheeseburgers, fries, and a drink for under a buck. But if you wanted ketchup it cost 4 cents extra and they put it in a little white cup. BELIEVE IT or not.

I've been to this location dozens and dozens of times for both lunch and dinner. And to think they were going to get rid of this building, and took the local citizens of Downey and the untiring efforts to keep this location today. I was one of those that signed a petition to keep it here and open. And have been there for many tributes and events. This truly never gets old. And there is something special about ordering a burger, fries and shake here.

The Downey restaurant was franchised directly by the McDonald brothers themselves before Ray Kroc got involved with them, which is why it remained exempt from corporation mandates regarding updating buildings.

When you go to that old Mcdonald's restaurant, you are in the 1950's.. PRETTY AMAZING!!!!!!!!

My grandfather, Dad, and I went to a protest to save this McDonald’s in around 95 or 96. He was a dentist in Downey for many years. Brings me back.

14:42 Ronald is gonna lock you up like those two employees lol

There's something so iconic and special about a McDonald's like this with the sloping roof and 1950's look. For anyone old enough to have gone to drive in movies, this is the burger joint you'd go to before or after and back then, it wasn't a "McDonald's" it was a burger joint, just a new fancy looking one. The design of it is timeless and so classy.

It’s funny when you are old and look at things other people call artifacts... and you remember when they were new lol

Hold on, is this the Krusty Krab?

“Only 6 times the 1955 price” sums up our economy perfectly

I remember when McDonalds looked like this. I also remember that the 15 cent hamburgers were delicious to a little boy that loved them. Now McDonalds is an absolute last resort when nothing else is available.

It takes a lot of guts to walk into a public place and talk to the camera in front of people. Mad respect

*inside an american cultural museum*

I want to get on a plane and fly to California IMMEDIATELY. Whenever I do get to go back to the US, I’m absolutely visiting this place. I didn’t know about it til I stumbled across this video, so thank you!

My dad took us to McDonald's for the first time in the mid-1960s. It looked exactly like this one, and was the only McDonald's in our city in Ohio. We sat in our station wagon and enjoyed our lunch.

That's a cool looking McDonald's ..I like the way it looks better then the ones we have now..

That one looks much more inviting than the ones today.

"McDonalds is your kind of place, Hamburgers in your face, French fries up your nose, Pickles between your toes, McDonalds is your kind of place, They serve you rattlesnakes, McDonalds is your kind of place." Was a parody jingle to the old school TV commercials kids would frequently sing when I was a young buck. There are many versions of it. The one I shared was the one most commonly featured in my region. Hahaha, I haven't thought of it in ages, but I don't eat there anymore. I do very much remember how excited I would get at the prospect of going to Mickey Ds though. Great memories!!!

Great memory of the first time my parents took us to McDonalds in about 1960. McD had only been in Memphis for 2 yrs. at that point and we had never heard of them or been to one. Dad could feed the whole family for about two dollars and we got plenty of food. Their taste hasn't changed much over the years. They are not one of the better tasting burgers, but maybe a bit cheaper. Still, I hope they can stick around. The one thing that has drastically changed over the years is the quality of their employees. There is no quality but what can you expect for minimum wage.

5:12 you could order the entire menu for $1.29.

First time I ate there, was 1959.

I remember going there since I was a kid. My dad used to say the 500 million served sign was there over 20 years ago. That was 30 years ago when he said that. I remember when they were going to demolish it because Pepboys bought the land but Governor Pete Wilson made it a landmark. That's when they fixed it up and built the museum. This was in the late 90's. When they opened it, they were only serving stuff they had back in the 50's and on Tuesday in a certain window you actually paid the prices from the 50's. We ate well those days haha. Cool to see it again. I moved out of California 1999. Lived in Santa Fe Springs about 4-5 miles from it.

I've eaten at this McDonald's in Downey. I remember when it was abandoned. The city of Downey decided to revive and rebuild the oldest McDonald's. It was actually the 3rd oldest McDonald's at one time.

"ENTER DO NOT" This must be where Master Yoda eats.

I love the look of the older McD buildings. Glad to see that there are still some around.

Adam, I still am old enough to remember McDonald’s looking like that and the menu, in the mid 60’s and early 70’s! I remember every Saturday for dinner, my mom’s no cook night, we would get a takeaway, since this was way before drive through windows! I remember I would always order a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake. I remember when the offered the fish sandwich and hot apple pie. Then a few years later their breakfast sandwich which was the egg McMuffin. Thank you for taking me down memory lane!

Thankyou for sharing. This is so cool to watch

McDonald’s food was so good back in the 1960’s not the same today. When I worked at McDonalds in the 1970’s we still made shakes by hand on a mixer. Those uniforms are from the 1970’s I wore the same pattern but in blue

I bet their ice cream machine is broken.

The pigeon going to town on that French fry made my day 😂

That First Ronald McDonald with the Paper Cup nose is none other than “Willard Scott” of Today Show Fame. 🍟 🥤 🍔. PS… The uniforms on the mannequins are circa 80’s, I wore one. Mickey D’S was my first job in 1982… About 25 minutes away from the Downey Store on Harbor & McFadden in Santa Ana. 😃

I remember when I was a kid the slogan was: McDonald's is your kind of place, it puts a smile on your face!

They should go back to that retro design

Wow, I'm watching this 4 years later. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.

Ah, the Dollar Menu! The good old days.😄I'm in Massachusetts, any pigeons get scared away by the seagulls here at McD's. Those birds are tough.

As a young boy, I lived in Lakewood right next to Downey. We went there many times in the 1960's and 1970's. Very good memories.

13:26 can’t believe you got to meet the famous McDonalds pigeon. I’m so jealous.

@7:00. It's a "Drive In", not a Drive-through. i.e. you drove in, went to the window and ordered/got your food, and left. Very cool video! Thanks!

A lot of comments on this video, so I am sure someone already told you: When this McDonald's open, it was a "drive-in" resturant, but that means you drove into the parking lot, got out of you car to order your food, and could eat it in your car. It did NOT have a drive-THRU window. Some drive-ins had car hops (waitstaff) that took your order at the car and then brought it to your car. I don't think McDonald's ever had car hops.

*McDonald’s toys were the highlight of my childhood*

"Drive-in" is not "Drive Through." These kinds of restaurants were referred to as "Drive-ins" because you didn't "sit-in."

Fantastic movie. Thank you for taking the time

In Germany we would call this building a traditional Imbiss, weirdly enough there is no proper english translation for this word! I really like it, thanks for the mini documentation ;)

I've been there twice. The first time, I was riding in a 1958 Edsel Pacer, and the second time, I was riding in a 1964 Studebaker Cruiser. These cars just added to the experience.

That McDonald's looks just like the one we ate at in 1956. I was very young, loved the strawberry shakes!!

5:57 Man, you forgot to say hi to Ronald McDonald's mother sitting outside eating food.

What a great style of narration. Awesome, thanks for the video!

I can remember when they all looked like that. 15 cents for a burger.

Ray Kroc wasn’t “the founder.” There’s animosity with him and the McDonald brothers. Probably why Ray’s photos are by the bathroom. (You should watch “The Founder” it explains a lot.)

The oldest one in Canada was sadly, foolishly renovated to look like every other restaurant a few years ago.

Thank you for sharing

1962 - going to McDonald’s was a real treat for me. Two burgers, two fries and a coke - 64 cents, no sales tax. Fries were cooked in beef fat and were artery-clogging wonderful. The stores looked like this one, except no drive through - that came in the mid-1970’s. The stores had no inside seating until the late 1960’s.

We had an old McDonald's where I live but they reconstructed it and now it's all modern & plain. The old one use to look better tbh

I remember when I was a kid my mom would take me to a McDonald’s like this but it was in Colorado. Such a happy and fond memory. I love seeing this design.

Ahh, the Good Ole Days! Truly Amazing! Great video Adam.👍👍

This is how McDonald's looked in Mason City, Iowa in the early 60's! Love it! Huge treat when we were kids! My parents never made more than about 6,000 dollars a year and we didn't eat out! But once a month or so...huge treat. The fries and a chocolate shake were the bomb!

Long story short, Ray didn't found the business. He stole the business.

Beautiful Video!!! (Grew up 12 years in Gardena…..6 min from there. So I’m pretty sure our Family has been there). THANKS for taking the time to make this video✅. God Bless😍

Just finished watching your Mc Donald’s video. Myself and my family visited and drove by this Mc Donald’s many years bcuz my family lived in Whittier CA! Who knew many years later would be shown on KZfaq channel. Thank you for showing this on your KZfaq channel!

I remember when McDonalds used to give out actually metal hot wheel cars instead of cheap plastic cars that can get easily damaged Edit:Also why does the restaurant itself almost look like the Krusty Krab?

Boy, the food there must be really damn good.

Thanks 🙏 for sharing this piece of history. The 1950s were great 👍 😊 👍

Well done and very informative! Thanks!

I worked at this McDonalds in 1998 . Everything is the same , except it didn’t have a drive-thru:-) Brings back memories

the outside looks like the shape of the "Krusty Krab"

10:00 I really hope that decision to put Ray Kroc Hall as the hallway to the bathrooms was an intentional jab at him. Lol

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Super presentation! Seriously laughing out loud! We had an old McD's in Rancho Cordova near Sacramento, CA but the bums took it down. It looked so much like the Downey one. I miss it terribly. I'm a straight out plain burger, small fries kind of gal. There are those times you just want Mc Donald's. (I love In N Out too...) It was never fast food to me - just more of a luxurious treat which the younger generations might not understand. Thank you for this lovely video including the GREEN M and pigeon story!! Love and warmest wishes to you from Northern California! PS: I subscribed today. :)

How ironic, I’m in the drive thru and this popped into my recommendation

I live right near this McDonald’s. Didn’t know it was the oldest operating tho

Unfortunately, I never was born during that time but seeing the old look of it now, it seems surreal. Looks like an old fashioned diner and seems more welcoming compared to the McDonalds we have now. History is always interesting to see, especially ones like this.

I love your videos! Man I wished I was traveling through these places you go to..the desert and old towns that has faded away almost!! I just want to say ...don't stop filming haha...I love it😍

*Ah yes, an American museum is a Burger place*

Thanks for sharing with us .

I met my first husband at McDonalds in the middle 70's. Very good memories at the Bellevue, PA store. My store owner invented the Big Mac.

When I was a kid in the 1960's, most hamburger stands were 'drive in's. Drive thru's with an actual drive up window came much later.

The drive thru was just completed over a year ago. There were many who did not approve of this but they had to update the customer service as the McDonald's up the street was taking a lot of business because of the access for ordering.

Great video! Thanks !

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this. Have a nice day now.

8:36 The OG Ronald McDonald Looks so creepy!

Why have they stopped making playgrounds for McDonald’s? That was my childhood days sigh. 😩

You are too funny. The strawberry preserves and pigeons were hilarious. Enjoy it. Enjoy it.

Another great vid - thx! And, you're right: 1st they wrote your order on a pad. then transferred it to the register - & all the employees wore uniforms with matching hats - was real high class - LOL!😎

I think that "drive in" article you showed from 1953 actually meant car service .. not a "drive thru"

Ray Kroc: The original Hamburglar. (For stealing from the McDonald Brothers)

Just like Shankweiler's drive-in movie theater is the oldest operating in the world. Not the original, but the oldest-operating. Opened in 1934 I believe.

The Fonder join us shall you, thank you for sharing Adom D Woo

Isn't it crazy in getting this recommended just after watching a MacDonalds documentary on the history channel, featuring this EXACT MacDonalds?

Ray crock wasn't the founder he stole McDonald's from the original owners just watch the movie founder.

Awwww, I remember living in Orlando and when I was a kid we had a McDonald's just like this one my mom and dad used to take us to. No drive thru though. I love looking at these retro places.

I have the lady's uniform. The red one. It's a 1976 McDonald's uniform, and I have it hanging in my room including the hat and apron. I will totally go there on my next trip to California. I have family there and it would be nice to step back in time. The area where you stand outside to order makes me wonder if that used to be a drive in restaurant. Many 50s restaurants had a fad where you literally drive up to the restaurant and they bring your food to your car and there were even little trays to attach to your vehicle. This was a video I did not search for but needed. I love retro, history and appreciate all the simplicity and even the weirdest things back in the day use to have. I miss when McDonald's looked like a McDonald's. How I got the outfit was actually random. My aunt in the States (I live in Canada) use to work at a McDonald's in the 70s and found a uniform in her attic still in its original packing. She phoned me the second she found it because she knew I loved vintage and collected things from the past. I kept the plastic pouch it came in, and displayed the uniform.

I REMEMBER MY PARENTS TAKING US THERE WHEN WE LIVED IN WHITTIER.

This is one of the rare McDonald’s that serves the old school fried apple pies. This location is truly an experience

I worked for McDonald's in the UK around the early 90's and went to New York not specifically for McDonald's but there were plenty around so I popped in. There was one in the financial district that had a shop selling different McItems and I bought a Ronald McDonald watch where his arms told the time. I also collected pins and have a Mac Tonight one...

Memories of this channel and your video.