There’s something fascinating about ghost towns—that frozen sense of urgency that can be felt by what and how things were left. In this case, it’s not a ghost town that we’re drawn to, but a ghost McDonald’s.
Located in Alaska’s westernmost town, Adak, this abandoned McDonald’s opened in July 1986. It served the town’s modest population of around 6,000 residents, most of whom worked at or supported the nearby military base, which closed in the mid-90s, taking most of the town and its population with it.
What’s left of the Adak McDonald’s is bleak and fascinating. It includes a drive-thru menu with intact prices, Jurassic Park and Bobby’s World promotions, a fallen intercom box, and a sealed-off dining area that’s reportedly since been removed.
The Abandoned McDonald’s Prices
There’s something deeply nostalgic about an old menu with prices of a bygone era. Part of it is remembering pulling out cash and exact change for a $.99 cheeseburger, but there’s also longing for a time when things were cheaper.
And by cheaper, I don’t just mean that we’re ignoring the unrelenting march of inflation, but actually cheaper.
For instance, this menu shows a Big Mac costing $2.45 in 1993. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator, we see that, adjusted for inflation, it would be $5.42 in 2024. But the actual cost of a Big Mac today is $8.59.
And remember, this was on a remote island in Alaska, where the food costs are likely much higher than the rest of the country. Plenty of McDonald’s advertising inserts from 1993 are floating around, showing a Big Mac Meal for only $2.99.
The Promotions (Jurassic Park, Bobby’s World)
Easily the greatest way to verify when this particular McDonald’s shut down was the promotions that were running when it shuttered. In this case it was Jurassic Park, complete with the Dino-Size meals, and Bobby’s World Happy Meal Toys.
The Abadoned Interior
In his exploration of the site back in 2023, Chris Luckhardt reported that any photos showing an intact dining area (including these) are outdated, as the interior was repurposed into a lunch space for workers from the local fish processing plant.
I’m dying to know if the old ice cream machine back there still works.
A Look At The Aboned Exterior
A Video Tour of the Site
Watch Chris Luckhardt’s hand-held surveying of the outside of this McDonald’s back in 2023.
