McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 32,000 local

restaurants serving more than 60 million people in 117 countries each day. More than
75% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local
men and women.
We serve the world some of its favorite foods - World Famous Fries, Big Mac, Quarter
Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and Egg McMuffin.
Our rich history began with our founder, Ray Kroc. The strong foundation that he built
continues today with McDonald's vision and the commitment of our talented executives
to keep the shine on McDonald's Arches for years to come. To read more about
McDonald's history, vision and executives, click on their links in the left menu.

McDonald’s is one of the leading restaurant chains in the world, touching the lives of people everyday. The long
journey of the burger brand started in 1940, when two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first
McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California. Initially, they owned a hotdog stand, but after establishing
the restaurant they served around 25 items, which were mostly barbequed. It became a popular and profitable
teen hangout. In 1948, the brothers closed and reopened the restaurant to sell only hamburgers, milkshakes and
French fries.
 
As per the information of the McDonald’s history, the major revenue came from hamburgers, which were sold at
a nominal price of 15 cents. The restaurant gradually became famous and the McDonald brothers begin
franchising their restaurant in the year 1953. The first franchise was taken by Neil Fox and under it; the second
Mc Donald’s restaurant was opened in Fresno, California. It was the first to introduce the Golden Arch design.
The third and fourth restaurants were opened in Saginaw, Michigan and Downey, California, respectively.
 
The latter is the oldest Mc Donald’s restaurant still in operation. In 1954, an entrepreneur and milkshake-mixer
salesman, Ray Kroc, acquired the franchise of McDonald’s restaurant for outside California and Arizona. In
effect, Kroc opened his first and the overall ninth restaurant in Illinois, Chicago, and gave birth to Mc Donald’s
Corporation. In 1958, the restaurant chain sold its 100 millionth hamburger. In 1960, Kroc renamed his company
as ‘McDonald’s Corporation’. In 1961, Kroc convinced the McDonald brothers to sell the business rights to him
for a sum $2.7milion.
 
Later that year, the Hamburger University was opened, which gave away McDonald's restaurant Bachelor of
Hamburgology degrees to students. In 1963, the mascot Ronald McDonald was born as a part of a marketing
strategy in US. In 1967, the first restaurant outside US was opened in Richmond, British Columbia. In 1974, the
3000th restaurant opened in Woolwich, United Kingdom, which is the first of the country. Happy Meal was
introduced in US in 1979. In 1984, the company became the main sponsor of the Summer Olympics. The year
was also marked by the death of Ray Kroc.
 
In 1988, the first restaurant opened in a communist country in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, followed by the first Soviet
restaurant in Moscow (1990). In 1992, the largest McDonald’s was opened in Beijing, China, having over 700
seats and was later demolished. In 1993, the first sea-going restaurant was established, aboard the Finnish
Cruise-ferry Silja Europa, sailing between Helsinki and Stockholm. In 1994, McDonald’s bagged the Catalyst
Award for its program for ‘fostering leadership development in women’. In 1996, the first Indian restaurant was
opened.
 

In 2003, the company launched the ‘I’m lovin’ it’ campaign. In 2005, McDonald’s started its McDelivery service in
Singapore. In 2006, the chain announced that it will publish nutritional information on its packaging of all its
products, for the benefit of the customers. Considering the huge success and brand McDonald’s has become, the
food chain is spread across the world in almost all the major cities of the globe. Being economic and user
friendly, the success rate of the company cannot be doubted.