McDonald’s menu from 1974 re-surfaces showing Big Mac for 55 cents and a ‘chicken dinner’ for $3.60

Welcome to McDonald’s – would you like chicken with that? 

A McDonald’s menu from 1974 has resurfaced on social media showing how items and prices have changed at the fast food chain in the last four decades.

The flyer for the opening of the first outlet in Melbourne shows Big Mac burgers costing just 55 cents and apple pies a fraction of the price today.

But many nostalgic commenters reminisced about the ‘chicken dinner’ which used to feature a pack of eight or 12 pieces of southern fried chicken.

The advertisement also features other meals that would be foreign to today’s generation, including ‘chic “n” chips’, a ‘fish dinner’ and a ‘deluxe burger’.

There is also no sign of McDonald’s iconic Happy Meals as they were first introduced in 1979, with a ‘junior burger’ listed in its place for 25 cents.

But the focus on creating a children-friendly atmosphere was still a focus, with free yo-yos and balloons on offer for kids at the store’s launch.

And families were encouraged to come along for a photo opportunity with Ronald McDonald, who would also be giving away free autographed pictures of himself.

The flyer for the Glen Waverley franchise was shared by Melbourne man Andrew Neill to the Old Shops Australia Facebook group on Monday night.

There is also no sign of McDonald’s iconic Happy Meals, which were first introduced in 1979, with a ‘junior burger’ listed in its place for 25 cents (pictured the first Australian McDonald’s in Yagoona, western Sydney in 1971)

The menu in Glen Waverley was shared by Melbournian Andrew Neill to the Old Shops Australia Facebook group, who revealed the restaurant was still there today (pictured)

The restaurant is sill there today along with 970 McDonald’s across Australia. 

Australians were taken aback by the throwback menu, with many stunned by the menu prices being a fraction of what they are today.

‘Move the decimal point across and you’re close to today’s prices,’ one commenter wrote.

French fries were also only 20 cents compared to $2.50 in 2019, while a hot apple pie would set you back 25 cents rather than the $2.65.

French fries were also only 20 cents compared to $2.50 in 2019, while a hot apple pie would set you back 25 cents rather than the $2.65 (pictured an early Australian McDonald’s menu)

The 55 cents Big Mac meanwhile is now $11.55 for a medium sized meal. 

Others called for the return of the chicken dinner, which consisted of whole pieces of chicken served with a side of fries and coleslaw.

‘Bring back the chicken dinner!’ one person wrote.

The 55 cents Big Mac meanwhile is now $11.55 for a medium sized burger (pictured a 1976 McDonalds menu for the launch of a store in Campbelltown, western Sydney)

‘As good for you as it is good to eat’: Another promotional item from 1980 shows McDonalds advertising a Big Mac, strawberry milkshake and a serving of fries as an important source of vitamins and minerals

McDonald’s’ emphasis on chicken in their first years in Australia is also evident in a menu from the time, which devotes an entire column to their poultry-based meals.

Another promotional item from 1980 shows McDonald’s advertising a Big Mac, strawberry milkshake and a serving of fries as ‘as good for you as it is good to eat’.

‘It provides more than 55 per cent of the daily need for protein and greater than 50 per cent of the daily need of many important vitamins and minerals,’ it reads. 

The first McDonald’s opened in Australia in Yagoona, western Sydney in 1971 after launching in the US in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955.