In 1940, the first McDonald’s restaurant was opened in San Bernardino, California, by Richard and Maurice McDonald. However, the story of how McDonald’s grew into the global fast-food empire we know today begins with a humble beginning that was far from the iconic franchise it became.
The McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, originally ran a drive-in called McDonald’s Bar-B-Q. It was a typical roadside stand where customers would drive up and place their orders, then wait for the food to be brought to their car. This was the standard model for many drive-ins in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The brothers had 25 items on the menu, but it was inefficient. They relied heavily on carhops, which led to long wait times and operational issues.
In 1948, Richard and Maurice McDonald decided to take a different approach. They closed their original drive-in and reopened it with a radically simplified menu. They cut their offerings down to just nine items, all focused on the fast and efficient delivery of food. The menu included hamburgers, fries, milkshakes, and soft drinks, with the main focus being on their hamburgers. They introduced a flat price of 15 cents for each burger, which was an affordable and attractive price point for their customers.
But it wasn’t just the reduced menu that made this new restaurant stand out. The McDonald brothers also pioneered a new way of organizing the kitchen. They introduced the “Speedee Service System,” a revolutionary approach to food preparation that would later serve as the blueprint for the fast-food industry. This system involved streamlining food production by creating an assembly line where workers focused on specific tasks, such as grilling burgers, frying fries, and making milkshakes. The process allowed for faster service, which was key in attracting more customers.
The success of the new restaurant model was immediate. The McDonald brothers were able to serve a high volume of food quickly and efficiently, making it a popular choice for local residents. By 1952, the McDonald brothers had opened a second location in nearby Downey, California. This success caught the attention of Ray Kroc, a traveling milkshake machine salesman, who would soon play a pivotal role in the brand’s future.
Ray Kroc saw the potential for McDonald’s to become a nationwide franchise and approached the McDonald brothers with an offer to help them expand. After a series of negotiations, Kroc secured the rights to franchise McDonald’s, opening the first McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955. Kroc’s vision for McDonald’s was far broader than the McDonald brothers ever intended, and he pushed the brand to become a global force.
However, the relationship between Kroc and the McDonald brothers eventually soured. In 1961, Kroc bought the brothers out for $2.7 million, a sum that would eventually be worth a fortune as McDonald’s grew into an international corporation. Despite the tensions, the McDonald brothers’ original restaurant in San Bernardino is still seen as the birthplace of the McDonald’s we know today.
The first McDonald’s restaurant, with its innovative service system and focus on efficiency, was a game-changer in the fast-food industry. It demonstrated the power of simplicity and speed in meeting consumer demand, creating a blueprint that would be replicated across the world. The McDonald brothers’ willingness to take risks and rethink their business model laid the foundation for what would become one of the largest and most recognized brands in the world.