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Original poster

McDonald's birthday parties in the 90s.

147 replies

Justgivemethebrie · 04/10/2021 16:58

Help settle a disagreement (lighthearted one!) with my mum.
We were discussing birthday parties of old and I said how fun the parties at McDonald's were as you got a tour around the kitchen and in the big fridge.
She was convinced this wasn't a thing but my memory is saying otherwise.
So Mumsnet, does anyone remember McDonald's birthday parties of yore? Was there indeed a visit to see the fryers and fridge?!

OP posts:
thismeansnothing · 04/10/2021 17:28

Got to say this was late 80s early 90s. There were 2 maccies by us. The town centre one had this wierd boat table you sat in. The other had the mushroom seats. Neither had soft play, play areas okr party rooms though.

freesolo · 04/10/2021 17:30

@sarie2468

Yes!! I had a few parties there and you got a tour of the kitchen and fridge. You could take one friend with you and it was hot topic in school for weeks before who would get picked. Later on the whole party was allowed rather than just 2 of you. Once the man doing the tour pretended to lock us in the fridge.. I remember being quite scared!
I remember being 'locked' in the fridge too! The birthday girl chose me to go with her for the kitchen tour and I was so excited
Tilltheend99 · 04/10/2021 17:30

Yes. I had several McDonalds birthday parties and also remember the big fridge. This was back in the days when the restaurants had mini soft play type areas in them.

ThreeFeetTall · 04/10/2021 17:31

Yes. The time I finally got picked to go on the kitchen tour was a special moment Blush

StevieNix · 04/10/2021 17:32

McDonald’s parties in the 90’s were the BEST parties (followed closely by wacky warehouse parties) in the special party room downstairs!
I went to many but none of them included going into the kitchens.

BrilliantBetty · 04/10/2021 17:33

The only one I went to had a soft play. Think it was in Lewisham or somewhere south London. It was great except my mum had forbidden me to eat the food and packed me a brown bread peanut butter sandwich. I was so jealous I couldn't join in with the chips and nuggets etc. No kitchen tour but lots of balloons.

I now make a point of taking my kids to maccys every so often.

worriedatthemoment · 04/10/2021 17:34

Yes and ronald macdonald was at them too

RumblyMumbly · 04/10/2021 17:35

Remember the parties in 80s but no tour.

Do they still do parties nowadays? There seem to be more venues that do an activity then cater food afterwards onsite than when we were kids

MalteserGeezee · 04/10/2021 17:35

My McDonald's parties were in the 80s, but 100% can confirm the kitchen tour, getting "locked in" the walk-in fridge, and playing frisbee out by the bins with a small blue disc frisbee that I think was part of a Happy Meal at the time.

Tashface · 04/10/2021 17:35

Our local one had its own double-decker bus permanently parked outside, all brightly decorated both outside and inside. This was where all of the parties took place!

Scoobygang7 · 04/10/2021 17:35

Yup I remember because I had one. All my friends got the tour and I didn't, but I got to pour myself a milkshake instead. I wasn't impressed lol.

shivbo2014 · 04/10/2021 17:37

Yes 100% always got to have a tour of the kitchen and stand in the giant freezers. Don't know if it made a difference where you lived but we were in London.

roxyk0303 · 04/10/2021 17:37

I went to McDonald's parties. Only the birthday child whose party is was got the tour of the kitchen round about here

There was also special birthday cakes that weren't for sale, the had Ronald McDonald in them and were only for the parties. They are a bit of a tik tok trend at the moment and are now apparently kept for staff birthdays

Tryingtogetitright · 04/10/2021 17:37

I had a McDonald's party mid-eighties. Sat upstairs in the train seats, and chose one friend to come to the freezer tour with me. I had to take my Mum's friend's daughter as she didn't know anyone else, not the friend I really wanted to take.

Similar but different - do you remember on flights in the 80s kids were allowed to visit the cockpit? Me and my brother got to in 1991! Sooo exciting.

FunnyInjury · 04/10/2021 17:37

I worked on McDs 90-92 and I used to do all the weekday parties that started after school finished as extra to my weekend shifts.
The kitchen and back room tour including faux lock the birthday child in the fridge moment definitely still happened in my store!

elbea · 04/10/2021 17:38

Born in the 90s and remember these parties!

Pollythecat15 · 04/10/2021 17:41

I'm showing my age now, but I remember going to a party in the 1980s at McDonalds. I was probably about 6/7.

It was so exciting! - hamburger and fries, a milkshake and an apple pie.

We got to eat sitting in a big boat shaped area, and we all screamed when Ronald McDonald made a brief appearance (I think he would still scare me if I saw him now).

AnotherName456 · 04/10/2021 17:44

Yep I had a tour too

hashbrownsandwich · 04/10/2021 17:46

Yes there was deffo tours in our local one. I remember too that they used to give the birthday child a 'free' drink and we all thought we were really cool because they gave us root beer.

DrunkenKoala · 04/10/2021 17:48

I worked in McDonald’s 93-95. In our store all the parties were upstairs at the back and everyone stayed there, we didn’t do any kitchen tours, I didn’t even know it was a thing.

Original poster
Justgivemethebrie · 04/10/2021 17:50

So glad this was actually not a figment of my imagination! Hearing about the milkshakes and mushroom stools is bringing it all back! Bet it didn't cost as much as parties these days either!!

OP posts:
Beebopawhop · 04/10/2021 17:51

I had my birthday party there in late 80s and for sure that's been a life long memory and I even journalled about it once that we got to go back and see everything !!!!

JoborPlay · 04/10/2021 17:52

Oh yes, I remember the kitchen tours. I loved those parties.

LillyLeaf · 04/10/2021 17:53

Yep, I was born in 82 and had parties at Mc Donald's, the birthday boy or girl could take one friend for a kitchen tour, you felt very special if that was you.

EineReiseDurchDieZeit · 04/10/2021 17:53

Definitely went round the kitchens in what was probably 1988