HISTORY OF MCDONALD’S

Brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald started the first McDonald's restaurant in 1948 by
converting their drive-through barbecue restaurant into a burger and milkshake joint. Located in San
Bernardino, California, the restaurant was actually the brothers' second venture into the food
industry. Their first was a hot dog stand that the pair owned near the Santa Anita track. The original
McDonald's focused on its burgers, fries and shakes, selling them for half the price and in half the
time of competing restaurants. It did this by changing the way that a hamburger shop operated.
Instead of relying on waiters and waitresses, the McDonald brothers installed a self-service counter.
Instead of cooking each meal to order, they prepared their burgers ahead of time and kept the food
warm under high-powered heat lamps.

Arguably one of the most impressive elements of McDonald's corporate history is how little modern
history it has. During its first decades, McDonald's worked to establish its business model and brand.
Since that time it has found an approach that works. The company's modern history is noteworthy
specifically for its relatively few items of note. McDonald's has continued its rapid growth for nearly
70 years and, while it has gained and lost customers, new restaurants have opened at a steady pace.
IN 1937 The McDonald brothers start their hot dog stand, getting into the food service business as a
team. While in 1940 They open their barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, the world's first
McDonald's restaurant. There is no current information on whether they sold barbecue
rib sandwiches, but we would like to think they did.  Going to 1948 The McDonald brother turn their
restaurant into a hamburger and milkshake restaurant, and in the process are credited with
inventing the modern service model of fast food. In later memoirs the brothers would credit their
process to Henry Ford, saying that they modeled their restaurant around his assembly lines in
Detroit.

Fast forward to the year 1967 Kroc pushes Sonnenborn out and takes the position of CEO himself.
Meanwhile, McDonald's opens its first international restaurant in Canada.and finally on the year
1974 The first Ronald McDonald House opens. McDonald's opens a restaurant in Pushkin Square,
Moscow. Given the cultural status of the restaurant, this is seen as a symbolic moment in the end of
the Cold War. According to the restaurant's website, it served more than 30,000 Russian citizens on
the first day. The company opens its first McCafe, McDonald's attempt to run a coffee restaurant, in
Australia. McDonald's has entered an era of rapid growth. From 1988 - 1996 the company doubles
its number of restaurants, opening location number 20,000 this year.

On the year 1998 to 1999 McDonald's as a corporation begins to aggressively expand past its
traditional business model. It acquires companies including Chipotle  and Boston Market, although it
would later divest itself of these holdings. By the end of the 1990s, McDonald's has opened more
than 11,000 restaurants outside of the U.S. In another symbolic moment, McDonald's opens its first
restaurant in Vietnam. In an effort to create new energy around its brand, McDonald's launches its
all-day breakfast menu. This has largely been regarded as a failure, as it generally regarded as
splitting an existing customer base rather than bringing new customers into the restaurant.