Dundee’s Reform Street was lit up by the iconic Golden Arches 35 years ago as the first McDonalds restaurant in Scotland opened its doors.
Welcoming its first intrigued customers in Dundee on November 23 1987, the chain then went on to open further outlets in Kirkcaldy and Glasgow in 1988.
The restaurant has remained a permanent fixture in the street while many businesses have endured mixed fortunes since 1987 with several big-names closing down.
Thousands of local people started their working life behind the counter at the Reform Street branch with many going on to become restaurant managers.
As the first McDonald’s in Dundee turns 35 we decided to take a look back at its opening and the success that sparked other branches to pop up across the city.
Life and times of a fast-food empire
Our story starts in 1940.
That’s when McDonald’s Corporation was founded as a restaurant which was operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald in San Bernardino, California.
The brothers rechristened their business as a hamburger stand, and later turned the company into a franchise, with the golden arches logo being introduced in 1953.
In 1955, businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as a franchise agent and purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers.
It took McDonald’s nearly 15 years to come to Scotland after first establishing itself in the UK in Woolwich in 1974.
Dave Jeffrey was the manager when the branch opened in Dundee on November 23 1987 and became the first person in Scotland to make and eat a Big Mac!
Players from the Dundee Tigers ice hockey team at Kingsway Rink cut the ribbon and the place was stowed out when it opened for the first time.
McDonald’s even created a special whisky to celebrate the launch in Scotland.
Dundonians weren’t quite sure what to make of the restaurant’s golden arches but the diner stayed open at night which proved extremely popular.
So popular in fact that after that first day of business they had to draft in more staff from Blackpool and Gateshead which were the closest branches at that time.
That week was the second-best opening week McDonald’s had had in the UK!
So what was the restaurant like back in 1987?
Staff uniform was striped polo shirts, baseball caps, small sharply cornered hats, and high-waisted trousers that music mogul Simon Cowell would be proud of!
What about McDonald’s menu in the 1980s?
It was much less extensive and mostly beef-orientated.
Hamburger, cheeseburger, Big Mac, quarter pounder and quarter-pounder with cheese were being sold for prices ranging from 43p up to 97p.
The Filet-O-Fish was the non-hamburger option with change from 50p.
French fries were 24p or 39p for a large bag but you could also save as much as 13p on some of the menu products if you decided to take-away instead of eating inside!
Talk about bang for your buck!
David Attenborough wouldn’t thank you for it these days however as back in the 1980s the polystyrene burger boxes were a nightmare for the environment.
What about the drinks?
There was Coke, Sprite and Fanta (eventually) alongside the triple-thick McDonald’s milkshake which seemed to take much more effort to suck up through a straw.
You could also take-away a coffee for under 25p while the dessert of choice for many was the McDonald’s apple pie which was always hotter than the sun!
What about the décor at the Reform Street restaurant?
@TheRealChloeMc: Ha mcdonalds toadstool seats @zoominmumin how old was we here!!! @craigteb pic.twitter.com/53eRxaT6
— my name is Chloé (@csmc24x) February 11, 2013
Upstairs was always bustling especially on a Saturday and people of a certain age might remember having or going to a birthday party in the Reform Street branch.
Do you remember those toadstool seats in the children’s area?
They were slightly uncomfortable to sit on whilst wearing a nylon shellsuit.
McDonald’s expanded across the city and its first drive-thru at Milton of Craigie was opened in October 1990 by 76-year-old Black Watch veteran Arthur Innes.
Do you remember the inside of the restaurant at Longtown Road?
There was a nautical theme with a Jolly Ronald boat amongst the seating options!
All ship-shape so far then at the start of the 1990s.
Hamburger lovers were licking their lips when a further branch of McDonald’s opened in the Wellgate Centre which conquered fast food-hungry hearts and minds.
Wimpy in the Murraygate was now drinking in the last chance saloon because McDonald’s was the city centre’s go-to place for a burger.
So just how popular was the restaurant’s mascot Ronald McDonald?
A crowd of around 12,000 people flocked to witness the clown character switch on the Christmas lights in City Square in 1998.
Sadly Ronald’s reign as the hamburger-eating clown came to an end in 2016.
Over the decades various famous faces have enjoyed a meal in McDonald’s in Reform Street including kids’ TV star Andi Peters and Libertines singer Pete Doherty.
Doherty’s band Babyshambles were due to play a sell-out gig at Fat Sam’s nightclub in September 2005 when he turned up for breakfast slightly worse for wear.
Not long afterwards, he was collared by Tayside’s finest for drinking in the street at 8.45am but appeared on stage 12 hours later after being given a warning.
Andi Peters went for breakfast in May 2014 whilst in the city as part of ITV’s Good Morning Britain show and the Lorraine Kelly show, where members of the public were being given a chance to take part in the programme’s Wheel of Fortune game.
Peters was hugely popular with the staff and made time to chat to everyone.
Fast-forward to 2022 and there are currently three McDonald’s in Dundee including the Camperdown Leisure Park branch which opened in the early noughties.
McDonald’s has seen several changes over the past 35 years, particularly in relation to concerns over healthy eating by offering balanced options to customers.
Dundee’s original McDonald’s is still going strong as it marks its latest city milestone.
Here’s to the next 35 years of burger memories!
Conversation