History of McDonald’s
The first McDonald’s restaurant was opened in 1940 by brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California. In 1948 the brothers revamped the business. By 1949, the menu was condensed to include 15-cent hamburgers, shakes, and fries. In 1953, a McDonald’s was inaugurated on Lakewood Boulevard in Downey by Roger Williams and Bud Landon. They became the second McDonald’s franchisee. In 1959, Kroc names Sonnenborn the first CEO of the McDonald’s company. In 1961, Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million. In 1967, the Big Mac was created by Jim Delligatti and added to McDonald’s menu the next year. In 1976, the World’s Largest recreation McDonald’s also called Epic McD, opened in Orlando, Florida.
McDonald’s Expansion and Achievements
As of 2018, McDonald’s had a total of about 37,855 outlets global. The oldest McDonald’s restaurant still operational, the Sit-in Hamburger, is located in Lakewood Boulevard in Downey, California.
McDonald’s Timeline and Growth
In 1961, Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million. The brothers keep their original restaurant, which they renamed Big M. Kroc later opens a competing McDonald’s nearby that drives them out of business by the end of the decade.