This McDonald’s in Alaska Has Been Frozen in Time Since 1994
A McDonald’s location on Adak Island, Alaska, closed in 1994, and its original drive-thru menu still displays the same design decades later. Footage of the site shows menu boards, prices, interior seating, and even the promotional tie-ins from that era preserved exactly as they appeared in the early 1990s.
Adak Island once supported a large United States Navy base, with thousands of service members and their families living there during its peak, and that population made a fast food franchise a practical option. As the base began shutting down in the mid-1990s, businesses followed suit. The McDonald’s closed as the community thinned out.
The Menu Prices That Stopped People Cold
When the prices come into focus, people are stunned. A Big Mac is listed for $2.45, a hamburger priced at $0.99, and a Filet-O-Fish for $1.95. Breakfast staples like the Egg McMuffin sat comfortably under $2, and even full combo meals cost less than what many people now pay for a single sandwich.
Today, depending on the location, a Big Mac can cost between $7 and $8, and a Filet-O-Fish typically costs around $6. A basic breakfast order can climb past $10 without much effort. Seeing those older prices frozen in place creates nostalgia, and just a bit of instant disbelief.
The comparison feels sharper because Adak wasn’t a cheap place to operate. Everything had to be flown or shipped in. Veterans who lived on the base recall that menu prices were higher than those in mainland locations when the restaurant first opened in 1986. Even so, the numbers still look mild next to modern menus.
Pop Culture Still Printed on the Board
The drive-thru menu advertises Dino-Size fries tied to the release of Jurassic Park. The promotion offered oversized fries and drinks served in themed collector cups. It’s proof that fast food once accompanied movie releases before mobile apps and QR codes took over.
Inside, photos taken over the years show pastel plastic seating, tiled floors, and counter layouts that disappeared from most locations decades ago. The golden arches were eventually removed in the mid-1990s, but much of the structure remained untouched for years afterward.
What Happened After the Doors Closed
Image via Canva/BreizhAtao’s Images
The building didn’t immediately fall apart. For a short period between 2011 and 2013, the former McDonald’s served as a staff dining space for a local fish processing operation. The kitchen was stripped down, but the seating stayed in place. Later vandalism led to the restaurant being boarded up again.
Adak Island today has about 30 permanent residents. Flights arrive a few times a week, and a bar and grill still operate. Some buildings are leased to visitors curious about the island’s history. The McDonald’s remains one of the most recognizable remnants of its busier past.