On This Day – The First McDonald’s Opened in 1940
McDonald’s is an emotion for all foodies out there, especially for the delicious hamburgers it makes! Besides hamburgers, it is also famous for sandwiches, French fries, soft drinks, and more. It has both dine-in and take-out options.
McDonald’s is the largest restaurant chain in the world currently, serving over 69 million customers in 120 countries each day. It has 37,855 restaurants globally, with lakhs of employees in total. It’s ranked 131st on the Fortune 500 of the largest United States corporations by revenue.
However, the origin of all these dates to 1940 when two ordinary men – Richard and Maurice McDonald – decided to do something extraordinary. They opened the first McDonald’s in San Bernardino, California, USA, and the rest is history!
A Brief History of McDonald’s
On this very date back in 1940, Richard and Maurice McDonald opened McDonald’s as a restaurant in San Bernardino, California, USA.
May 15, 1940 – McDonald’s opens its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. pic.twitter.com/djSFOOtMFd
— History Defined (@historydefined) August 29, 2022
They soon rechristened their business as a hamburger stand. Later, they turned the company into a franchise, and in 1953, introduced the Golden Arches logo at a location in Phoenix, Arizona.
McDonald’s menu in 1953: pic.twitter.com/TXLPDYF6Rk
— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) August 27, 2022
The original McDonald’s.
San Bernardino, California, 1953.
Before the golden arches. pic.twitter.com/34JqN89qns— Paul Schlienz (@PaulSchlienz) February 25, 2023
A businessman named Ray Kroc joined the company in 1955 as a franchise agent, and within a few years, purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers. He started to expand the company into several international markets, making it one of the biggest food brands in the world.
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Some Interesting Facts
Surprising as it may sound, there are more McDonald’s locations than hospitals in the United States.
The Golden Arches of McDonald’s are one of the most recognized symbols in the world.
Have you ever wondered why you can’t resist the golden arches?
McDonald’s uses psychological hacking to keep you coming back for more
from their strategic menu design to their selling strategy.
Find out how they do it.🧵 pic.twitter.com/Koa691slG0
— Irendra | (@simpreneurship) May 8, 2023
There is one floating McDonald’s (known as the McBarge) in Vancouver, Canada.
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McDonald’s is banned in several countries, such as Macedonia, Bermuda, Montenegro, Kazahstan, etc.
Don Gorske of Wisconsin was included in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016 for eating more than 30,000 Big Macs.
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