No other restaurant in the world enjoys the same level of popularity and success as McDonald’s. From humble beginnings, the Golden Arches have risen worldwide. Promising quick and predictable fare, consumers continue to love what the company offers.

Getting Down to Business

• 1940 – Founded as a single barbecue joint by Mac and Dick McDonald in San Bernardino, California with 20 carhops and 125 vehicle stalls

• 1952 – First franchise sold to Neil Fox of Phoenix for $950. His restaurant featured the first Golden Arches.

• 1955 – Ray Kroc, a Multimixers salesman, opens his first McDonald’s franchise

• 1958 – McDonald’s sells its one hundred millionth burger

• 1961 – Ray Kroc buys the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name for $2.7 million

• 1966 – Ronald McDonald appears in his first TV commercial, people instantly love him

• 1967 – First international franchise opens in British Columbia, Canada

• 1971 – First restaurants open in Japan, Holland, and Australia

• 1975 – First ever drive-through location opens in Sierra Vista, Arizona

• 1988 – 10,000th restaurant opens in Dale City, Virginia

• 1990 – First restaurant opens in the Soviet Union

• 1996 – McDonalds.com launches

• 1998 – New “Made For You” platform allows restaurants to customize orders with greater ease

• 2001 – McDonald’s Co. Japan first appears on Nasdaq exchange on July 26

• 2003 – “Plan to Win” initiative launches, with focuses on People, Product, Place, Price, and Promotion

• 2008 – 31,967 locations in 118 countries

• 2010 – Over 28,000 store locations offer free WiFi to customers

• 2011 – McDonald’s operates in 119 countries after opening first locations in Trinidad & Tobago, Bosnia and Herzegovina

• 2012 – McDonald’s renews Olympic Games TOP Sponsor status all the way through the 2020 Games

• 2015 – Some locations start using touchscreen kiosks to take customer orders

• 2017 – First-quarter results show enhanced all-day breakfast increased same-store sales by 1.7% nationwide

• 2017 – “Experience of the Future” initiative unveiled, including delivery of food to tables and restaurant makeovers

• 2017 – Over 36,000 restaurants worldwide, over 80% of locations franchised, 1.9 million corporate and franchise employees

Big Menu Shakeups

• 1948 – Menu selection slashed from 25 to 9 items to speed up food production. Barbecue didn’t make the cut.

• 1949 – French fries replace potato chips

• 1968 – Big Mac launches

• 1973 – Quarter Pounder debuts

• 1975 – Egg McMuffin launches nationwide

• 1979 – First Happy Meal introduced, has a circus wagon theme

• 1982 – McRib first appears

• 1983 – Chicken McNuggets join national menu

• 1984 – McDLT with two-sided hot and cold container introduced

• 1989 – McPizza launches in select markets

• 1991 – Chicken Fajitas and Breakfast Burritos introduced

• 2000 – Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait launches

• 2002 – Dollar Menu introduced

• 2003 – Premium Salads join the national menu

• 2006 – Snack Wraps launched

• 2011 – New Happy Meal launches, with healthier food options

• 2012 – Shamrock Shake spreads nationwide

• 2015 – Swaps iceberg lettuce for romaine, baby spinach, and baby kale in premium salad blends

• 2016 – Nationwide all-day breakfast menu launched

• 2016 – High fructose corn syrup removed from buns, McDonald’s commits to using antibiotic-free chicken

• 2017 – Grand Mac and Mac Jr. join the Big Mac burger lineup

Heavy Social Conscience

Ray Kroc believed firmly in giving back to society. His most lasting philanthropic contribution has been the Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home away from home for parents to stay while children are being treated in a distant hospital. Staff and volunteers provide meals, clean the facilities, etc. so parents can concentrate on their children. The first Ronald McDonald House, located in Philadelphia, opened its doors in 1974. Today, there are over 359 locations worldwide.

The Art of the Burger

Hamburger University was founded by Ray Kroc in Elk Grove Village, Illinois in 1961. It taught franchisees how to properly run McDonald’s restaurants. Over 80,000 people have graduated from the program.

Golden Arches Standard

The Economist uses the Big Mac Index, which measures currencies in different countries based on prices at local McDonald’s

Sources:

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1932839,00.html
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/story-how-mcdonalds-first-got-its-start-180960931/
http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/mcdonalds-surprising-start-75-years-ago
https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-us/our-history.html
http://news.mcdonalds.com/
http://corporate.mcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcdonalds-history.html
https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/10-discontinued-and-mostly-forgotten-mcdonalds-menu-items?utm_term=.ugY0Wmv53#.htmxq7vAB
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/05/14/mcdonalds-75-years-famous-menu-item/27315705/
https://rmhccni.org/faq/
http://news.mcdonalds.com/us/releases/mcdonald-s-usa-announces-big-changes-to-its-food
http://time.com/money/4062667/mcdonalds-all-day-breakfast/
http://fortune.com/2017/04/25/mcdonalds-all-day-breakfast-stock/
http://www.businessinsider.com/changes-mcdonalds-made-this-year-2015-9
http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2017/05/15/mcdonald-s-planning-experience-future-with-upgraded-restaurants.html