This Is What Restaurant Dining Was Like More Than 50 Years Ago

Old-school dining traditions have stuck around in the form of classic diners, and some of the country's oldest restaurants make a point of keeping history on display, but a lot has changed since the days of drive-ins and jukeboxes in the late '60s.

These days, certain restaurants are getting attention by banning the use of cell phones in restaurants, but 50 years ago, it was a big deal to be able to have access to a telephone table-side. Back in the day, your waiter might bring a clunky phone over and plug it into a jack nearby if you had a pressing call to make — but such service was mostly reserved for pricey establishments and VIP diners.

The convenience of paying your bill with a credit card didn't become a viable option until the system was computerized in 1973, so diners always kept cash on hand. Luckily, settling the check was often as easy as throwing some change on the counter and walking out.

Old-school diners still keep things simple by scribbling your order onto a pad of paper, but before digital registers became a mainstay, that's how your bill arrived at every restaurant.

In '40s and '50s, drugstore soda fountains were the place to be to socialize with friends over ice cream sodas and egg creams, but chains like Walgreens and Dairy Queen popped up and put them out of business.

One thing that did carry over from the soda shop trend? Milkshakes. The blended ice cream drink became a staple order for drive-ins, and still is today.

The popularity of Coca-Cola ensured that restaurants everywhere stocked the syrup and had it on tap in the '50s and '60s. The iconic aluminum cans were introduced in 1967.

Customers embraced the drive-in trend, which introduced car-side service by "carhop" waiters and waitresses at restaurants like A&W.

McDonald's has been in operation since the '40s, but in the mid-'50s Ray Kroc turned it into the iconic fast-food restaurant it is today by adding drive-in service and introducing beloved menu items, like the Big Mac (which debuted in 1967).

With over 1,000 locations throughout the U.S. in 1966, Kentucky Fried Chicken popularized the idea of a "take away" fast food meal, with advertisements proclaiming: "We fix Sunday dinner seven days a week."

Multi-page restaurant menus that you can browse like a book were unheard of back in the day. Eateries offered a concise list of straightforward mains, sides, and desserts with limited beverage options, and asking for substitutions would definitely get you a dirty look.

The contents may have been simpler inside, but it was unheard of to not have artwork or photos with your restaurant on the cover in the '60s.

Restaurant prices from the '60s and '70s make today's offerings seem outrageous. A roast turkey dinner, complete with sides, only cost diners 70 cents back in 1963.

Servers definitely weren't asking customers whether they prefer still or sparkling water. Other than water, Americans drank mostly soda and beer in restaurants until Perrier exploded the sparkling water industry in the states in 1977.

It wasn't until 1972 that the Clean Water Act passed and it was another two years until the Safe Drinking Water Act was put into effect—both regulate the amount of pollutants in public water systems.

Back in the '60s, most patrons enjoyed cocktails with dinner or the occasional glass of champagne. No wonder drinks like old-fashions and whiskey sours are so heavily associated with the decade.

Though most restaurants had non-smoking sections, it was common for bars and eateries to be shrouded in a veil of cigarette smoke with diners puffing away throughout their meal.

A series of sit-ins were held throughout the '50s and '60s to protest segregation in restaurants and other public places. Though President Lyndon B. Johnson forbid the practice by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black customers often still suffered unfair prices, poor service, and more.

Before the smell of food-court Chinese food permeated shopping centers, sitting down for lunch at a department store restaurant was a common occurrence. Bloomingdale's, Marshall Field's, Macy's, and other stores served simple sandwiches, salads, and desserts onsite, so shoppers could have a leisurely meal while running their errands.

Back in the '60s you could enjoy a white glove service meal IN THE AIR. That bar situation puts our present day food and beverage cart to shame.

Travel and entertainment charge cards were a trendy way to settle the bill when dining out with friends or colleagues. The Diner's Club system allowed patrons to pay their balance from participating restaurants at the end of each through their credit account.

Before a long car ride meant grabbing a Happy Meal at the McDonald's drive-through, Howard Johnson's was a hugely popular stop for hungry travelers. It was the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. in the '60s and '70s, known for its fried clam strips and 28 flavors of homemade ice cream.

Though residential air conditioning was nothing new, restaurants with cooling systems were less common. Many spots advertised AC along with their menu items to draw in customers, especially during hot, summer days.

If you wanted to control the tunes while you ate, you could bet there was a jukebox in the corner, waiting for your song selections. The introduction of wallboxes meant diners could do it right from their table or booth.

Today certain restaurants and convenience stores stay open 24 hours, but 50 years ago, classic diners were just about the only place to grab a bite at any time, day or night. They were most prevalent in large cities and areas where factory workers were on the job around the clock.

Restaurants like Denny's and Waffle House bucked tradition by staying open on major holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, bringing in a ton of business and inspiring others to adopt a 365-day operation.

You used to have to dine at a white tablecloth establishment like the Twenty-One Club to satisfy your coq au vin craving. But more people were traveling in the late '60s, and as a result, more exotic foods became in demand. Frozen food companies found a way to produce pre-made versions so that restaurants of all price points could offer these dishes.

Terms like "du jour" became more commonly used to describe anything from the daily soup to pie selection.

They were used in all kinds of eateries—from diners to fancy steak houses. And, boy, do they look comfortable. Can we bring this back?

It was the height of sophistication to have a dish like Steak Diane or Cherries Jubilee wheeled out and prepared right next to your table.

Thanks to the International House of Pancakes, which was founded in 1958, pancakes saw a huge boom in the 1960s.

With take-out culture on the rise and TV dinners available in every grocery store, people began eating out less in the '60s. To combat the trend, restaurants enlisted advertisers to sell the idea that eating out was a fun and special experience.

Not only did these joints serve up Polynesian dishes featuring flavors like pineapple and teriyaki, but their over-the-top decor and festive Mai Tais offered an exotic experience you couldn't find anywhere else. The fad died off by the end of the decade, but piqued people's interests in other international cuisines.

The first Benihana restaurant opened in New York City in 1964, and other international cuisines—like Chinese, Indian and Mexican— became incredibly popular during this time as well.

If you needed to grab a quick meal, there was no better place to go. The wide range of food and a pay-per-tray system made these establishments a mix between a diner and a take-out spot. New York City's Dubrow was one of the most beloved cafeteria's, but sadly it closed in 1985.

Can you image a time before OpenTable?! Even though some restaurants allowed you to call in by phone, it was more common to arrange your table in person.

The '60s diner culture was centered around the counter. And whether it was lunchtime or not, people flocked to it for a cup of coffee and the newspaper or a sandwich and a soda.

If you went to a nice restaurant in the 1960s, a trip to the powder room involved bringing a few dollars, a la Holly Golightly, to pay the bathroom attendant.

In the '60s, Congress voted that the minimum wage could be lower for staffers at restaurants if a portion of their salary came from tips. At the time, minimum wage was $1.00, which is equivalent to $8.55 in 2019.

The glamour that was associated with the booths at Toots Shor or the dance floor of The Copacabana was largely due to the society names that flocked to these spots weekly. The concept of Supper Clubs lasted well into the late '70s.