The New Diner: McDonald's Downey

Monday, December 29, 2008

McDonald's Downey

McDonald's Downey
10207 Lakewood Blvd
Downey
562-622-9248

Ok, what the hell is a McDonald's review doing on The New Diner? Well this is the oldest operating McDonald's in the world. Opened in 1953, they were not part of McDonald's corporation until 1990. The restaurant was damaged by the 1994 Northridge earthquake but reopened two years later with a museum. The museum has all kinds of pictures and McDonald's cups, wrappers, and toys. The corporation sold it to the current owner/operator in 1998.

Ray Kroc, who would buy out the McDonald brothers, visited this location to prepare for opening his own McDonald's in Illinois.

I have been meaning to go back to this McDonald's but never made the trip. But I finally made it and I'm glad I did. One of the first things you notice is that the old McDonald's logo, Speedee, is still used, one everything from the trash cans to the signs.

I got the Big Mac meal, $3.99. Everybody knows what a Big Mac is. This isn't different than a Big Mac from anywhere else. Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a seasame seed bun. The fries were McDonald's fries, salty, softy on the inside, pretty crisp on the outside. Nothing special about it.

I then got a cheeseburger, 99 cents. Again same as any other McDonald's cheeseburger.

Service is OK. They workers do not dress like they did back when it opened. Service at McDonald's has slipped overall but this location was pretty good for McDonald's. But there are some stupid drivers in Downey, well at least in this parking lot. I can't believe some stupid, fat woman drove her Mustang about 50 mph in the damn parking lot, blasting her radio for everybody to hear. Stupid.

But I loved the sense of history you get from going here. Opened in 1953, a full five years before a drunken mick, stole the Brooklyn Dodgers from their rightful home. Wrigley Field and Gilmore Field were both thriving ballparks in LA. What a treat for a kid, living in Downey, to go to McDonald's after going to Wrigley Field to see the LA Angels vs the Hollywood Stars.

This was a very cool experience. You feel as though you stepped back in time going here. I'm glad to see McDonald's has a sense of history and has kept this location open. I would hate to see this turned into one of newer McDonald's that are being built.

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