What A Quarter Could Buy You From Fast Food Restaurants In The '60s

What can one actually do with a quarter nowadays? Since the cellular revolution completely obliterated the usefulness of public payphones, we can't actually call someone who cares (to crib from an old Travis Tritt song). And, when it comes to food, unless you can track down a gumball machine, you're probably flat out of luck. That's why it's so fascinating to look back on vintage fast food menus. Sure, lots of '60s eateries were pushing old-school diner foods that are no longer popular, but the annals of fast food reveal many constants that are recognizable today: burgers, fries, shakes, and colas. Best of all, many of these drive-thru giants had food cheap enough that 25 cents could buy you a drink or dessert, if not a bonafide entrée.

We've covered the original Taco Bell menu — with items so unfamiliar to some '60s American audiences that "taco" needed a pronunciation guide — and they were all a steal, with chili burgers, frijoles, and burritos clocking in at 19 cents apiece. A large soda was 20 cents, so you can see that the food was genuinely inexpensive. Meanwhile, roast beef giant Arby's opened its doors in 1964, and its four flavors of milkshakes would set you back only 20 cents apiece. This is to say nothing of the big kahuna in the fast food scene, McDonald's. Today, McDonald's best-selling item isn't a meaty burger but its crispy, hot fries, but you wouldn't have had to make a choice in the '60s. With 100% beef hamburgers for 15 cents and fries for a dime, you could manage a (modest) meal for one shiny quarter.

According to the U.S. Inflation Calculator, a quarter has experienced 960% inflation between 1965 and 2026, and the latter-day value of the coin is equivalent to $2.65 as of this writing. From that simple calculation, you can understand that 25 cents, while much more valuable in the '60s, still wasn't a tremendous sum of money at the time. For a point of comparison, meals at many fast-casual restaurants were either just below or just over a dollar. A fancy meal at a chain steakhouse might even cost as much as five dollars! When one considers how little they can get at a typical fast food menu in the 2020s for $2.65, it's truly impressive that a quarter could get so much some 60 years ago.

Unfortunately, it seems that the halcyon days of buying lunch — or even meaningful lunch components — for pocket change are long behind us. Finding anything meaningful for even a dollar is a tough quest nowadays. McDonald's has led the charge when it comes to a wave of fast food inflation in the last 10 years, with the average menu item having increased 100% in price. Taco Bell, the former home of the 19-cent tacos (that's "tah-co," not "tay-co"), has raised prices by around 81%, with some entrees doubling in cost. Will we be as nostalgic in 2070 for the $10 combo meal as we are for the 25-cent burger-and-fry McDeal? That remains to be seen.