"Dear McDonald's: What the heck happened? Millennials had to grow up and have all the joy sucked out of them, but you, too? By 2025, McDonald's restaurants had become fairly minimalist, with severe angles and a fairly brutal aesthetic: They're the kind of buildings that look like they'd be serving up Soylent Green instead of Happy Meals. The official line is that the redesign is to make things more welcoming, but those who remember the 1980s-era McDonald's can argue that the opposite is happening."
"Look back at the photos, and McDonald's was once super-colorful, decorated with everyone's favorite characters, and even the stools were fun: They were little hamburgers! Comfortable? Debatable, but it didn't matter because you were at McDonald's, the PlayPlace was waiting for you, and life was good. Going to McDonald's meant that you could chill on a bench next to a statue of Ronald, collect some super-fun toys (or glassware with some of your favorite characters),"
"In 2024, Pizza Hut unveiled a new look that included things like an open pizza kitchen, a carryout order pick-up station, touchscreens, and other modern-looking features. That couldn't get much further from the Pizza Hut of the 1980s, which featured low lighting from delightful, Tiffany-esque hanging lamps, lots of brick, red banquette seats, and red-and-white checked tablecloths that were always slightly - but not necessarily unpleasantly - sti"
By 2025, McDonald's restaurants shifted to a minimalist, severe-angled, and brutal aesthetic that replaced colorful, playful design with a colder atmosphere. 1980s McDonald's offered vivid decor, character promotions, hamburger-shaped stools, Ronald statues, collectible toys, and heavily used PlayPlaces that combined risky physical play with joy. Parents lingered with coffee and ashtrays on tables. Visits functioned as more than meals and served as event spaces for birthday parties and childhood experiences. In 2024, Pizza Hut introduced modern elements like open kitchens, carryout pickup stations, and touchscreens, contrasting with its 1980s ambiance of Tiffany-esque lamps, brick, and red-and-white checked tablecloths.
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