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The History of McDonalds- Introduction Part 1:
All over the world today, the fast-food industry is constantly evolving and becoming more popular. Most people nowadays prefer the efficiency of fast-food restaurants rather than cooking a meal at home or going to sit down somewhere. Fast food restaurants started in the United States, with a common one known as McDonald’s. While looking at many archives throughout this research process, you will notice the significant changes Mcdonald's has had over the decades. -
Introduction Part 2
Their menus, restaurants, and the franchise as a whole have grown significantly since its creation. The McDonald brothers moved to California and started in the food industry after not succeeding in the movie industry [McDonald’s History]. In 1948, the McDonald brothers opened their first restaurant with a very small menu in which they sold 15-cent hamburgers. At the start of their business, they created a service which they called, “the Speedee Service System,” [McDonald’s History]. -
Introduction Part 3
As time went on, this name went away and now is known as fast food. The year of 1955 is when Kroc developed the Mcdonald's Corporation and franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois [Eric Reed]. In 1961, Ray Kroc created a program at a newer McDonald’s restaurant in Elk Grove Village, Illinois known as “Hamburger University,”[McDonald's History]. This was a training program for people to learn how to successfully run a McDonald’s restaurant [McDonald’s History]. -
Introduction Part 4
“Hamburger U utilized a research and development laboratory in nearby Addison, Illinois to develop new cooking, storing, freezing, and serving methods. Today, more than 275,000 franchisees, managers, and employees have graduated from the program” (McDonald’s History). Kroc's success continued when in 1961 he bought out the founders completely and ran the franchise himself [Eric Reed]. Kroc continued to work for the franchise up until his passing on January 14, 1984 [Eric Reed]. -
Introduction Part 5
“In 1962/63, McDonald’s launched its two most recognizable logos: the golden arches and Ronald McDonald” (Eric Reed). By 1996, “McDonald’s had entered an era of rapid growth. From 1988-1996 the company doubled its number of restaurants, opening location number 20,000 this year” (Eric Reed). -
Introduction Part 6
In the years 1998-1999, “McDonald’s as a corporation began to aggressively expand past its traditional model. It inquired companies including Chipotle and Boston Market, although it would later divest itself of these holdings” (Eric Reed). By the end of the 1990s, “McDonald’s had opened more than 11,000 restaurants outside of the U.S. (Eric Reed). -
The Beginning of McDonald's
In 1948, Dick and Mac McDonald moved to California to seek opportunities for their Speedee Service System [McDonald’s History]. They sold 15-cent hamburgers [McDonald's History]. Through this Speedee Service System, they became successful and began to franchise their business and created nine functioning restaurants [McDonald’s History]. In San Bernardino in 1948, they created their official limited menu which was hamburgers, shakes, and fries [McDonald's History]. -
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The Start of McDonald's Success
The brothers wanted an eye-catching architectural design. They wanted this to highlight their Speedee Service System. [McDonald’s History]. In 1954, Ray Kroc became one of their franchising agents [McDonald's History]. In 1955, Ray Kroc opened the first Mcdonald's restaurant east of the Mississippi River in Des Plaines, Illinois [McDonald’s History]. "Fred Turner became the head of operations defining cleanliness, service, and quality, and still does this to this day," (McDonald’s History). -
New Additions
In 1961, McDonald's acquired the rights to the brother's company for $2.7 million [McDonald’s]. In 1965, the Filet-O-Fish was the first item added to the national menu [McDonald's]. This was created by Lou Green, which was in hopes to build volume in a Roman Catholic community where the store was located in [McDonald’s]. The Big Mac was added to the menu in 1968 by owner Jim Delligatti [McDonald's]. The mansard roof design was introduced in 1969 in Matteson, Illinois [McDonald’s]. -
The Increasing Growth of the McDonald's Corporation
Play Places and Drive-Thrus were created in the 1970s [McDonald's]. The Quarter Pounder and Quarter Pounder with Cheese were added to the menu [McDonald's]. "In Philadelphia in 1973 was when the first Ronald McDonald House was opened by Fred Hill, he was a football player for the Philadelphia Eagles whose child was being treated for leukemia in a Hospital. This issue caused the first Ronald McDonald House to open," (McDonald's). The Egg McMuffin was created by Herb Peterson in 1975 [McDonald's]. -
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Evolution of Success
Throughout this time, McFlurries and McNuggets were added to the national menu [McDonald's]. McDonald's created their first-ever Social Responsibility Report [McDonald's]. However in 2003, "I'm Lovin' It" was their first global ad campaign created in Munich, Germany [McDonald's]. Today, there are over 36,000 McDonald's Restaurants in over 100 nations all over the world [McDonald's]. -
Conclusion Part 1
All over the world today, the fast-food industry is constantly evolving and becoming more popular. Most people nowadays prefer the efficiency of fast-food restaurants rather than cooking a meal at home or going to sit down somewhere. They have grown all over the world, especially in the United States. They were the creators of fast food through their Speedee Service System and drive-thrus. -
Conclusion Part 2
McDonald’s created history in their time which is becoming more popular every year. This company has evolved and is constantly growing throughout its history even with the struggles it encountered throughout the first few years they were opened. -
Bibliography Part 1
“Early McDonald's Menus.” Kottke.org https://kottke.org/13/03/earlymcdonalds-menus.
Klein, Christopher. “How McDonald's Beat Its Early Competition and Became an Icon of Fast Food.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 15 May 2015, https://www.history.com/news/how- mcdonalds-became-fast-food-giant. -
Bibliography Part 2
McDonald’s History. 2017, https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/our-company/who-we-are/our-history.html.
“Our History.” Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region, 13 July 2020, https://rmhcofalbany.org/about-us/our-history/.
Reed, Eric. “History of McDonald's: Timeline and Facts.” TheStreet, TheStreet, 16 Oct. 2019, https://www.thestreet.com/markets/history-of-mcdonalds-15128096.