THEN AND NOW: How McDonald's changed drastically between 2020 and 2021

Erin McDowellJan 25, 2021, 22:53 IST

McDonald's has undergone a number of major changes in the last year.AP

McDonald's has undergone a number of major changes in the last year.
The menu is now significantly shorter than it was pre-pandemic.
However, the chain has leaned into new and exciting menu items and collaborations more than ever before.

McDonald's may be the biggest fast-food chain in the world, but nothing could have prepared the company for the coronavirus pandemic.

Stopping by your local Mickey D's was very different a year ago. There were no plastic barriers or social distancing markers and you could order from dozens of menu items.

Here's how McDonald's has changed drastically between 2020 and 2021.

Before the pandemic caused shutdowns nationwide, maskless customers would crowd into McDonald's restaurants to order or eat inside.

McDonald's cashier giving change to a customer. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Masks have become a mainstay for McDonald's employees and customers ordering and eating inside restaurants.

A McDonald's customer wearing a face mask poses with their order. T Sarah Photography/Shutterstock

Both dining-in and going through the drive-thru were options before the pandemic.

McDonald's customers. Allana Akhtar/Business Insider

Many McDonald's restaurants have yet to open for indoor dining.

Customers eating outside at a McDonald's restaurant. John Lamparski/Getty Images

There was no need for protective barriers at fast-food restaurants prior to the pandemic.

A McDonald's drive-thru window in 2017. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Plastic or glass barriers have now been installed at McDonald's drive-thru windows.

A person receives food at a Mcdonald's drive-thru window. Cameron Smith/Getty Images

At the start of 2020, McDonald's had a larger menu.

McDonald's fast-food counter in 2017. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The most noticeable difference at McDonald's at the start of the pandemic was the chain's limited menu.

A car pulls into a McDonald's drive-thru. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

McDonald's is now preparing to enter the fast-food chicken wars with three new chicken sandwiches and a larger menu than it had in March.

McDonald's chicken sandwich. Nick Kindelsperger/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

All-Day-Breakfast was an institution at McDonald's restaurants nationwide.

McDonald's breakfast menu. Irene Jiang / Business Insider

All-Day Breakfast was removed in 2020 and is still unavailable.

McDonald's breakfast sandwich. Erin McDowell/Insider

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