McDonald's: History, Key Facts and Reviews

1940-1954: the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino

McDonald’s began as a single restaurant opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald on May 15, 1940, in San Bernardino, California (Wikipedia). In 1948 the brothers noticed that most of their profit came from hamburgers. They cut the menu, reorganized the kitchen like an assembly line and called the method the Speedee Service System, built around a 15-cent hamburger. Our history of the hamburger places that switch among the turning points of fast food.

1955-1967: Ray Kroc and the franchise model

Ray Kroc built McDonald’s into a national chain by franchising the brothers’ method. He joined them in 1954 and opened his own franchised restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955, the date the corporation treats as its founding. In 1961 he bought out the brothers for $2.7 million. Harry J. Sonneborn, Kroc’s financial strategist, then made the decision that shaped the business: the company would own the land under its franchised restaurants and collect rent on it. Ronald McDonald first appeared in TV ads in 1963. In 1967 the chain opened its first restaurant outside the United States, in Richmond, British Columbia. The same year, franchisee Jim Delligatti created the Big Mac in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; it joined the national menu in 1968.

1971-1990: from Europe and Japan to China

McDonald’s became a global brand in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1971 it opened in the Netherlands, its first European country, as well as in Japan and in Australia, at Yagoona near Sydney. The first drive-thru followed in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, and the Happy Meal arrived in 1979. In October 1990 the first restaurant in mainland China opened in Dongmen, Shenzhen (Wikipedia).

2018-2025: Chicago headquarters and 45,356 restaurants

Today McDonald’s is a largely franchised group run from Chicago. It moved its head office from suburban Oak Brook to the city’s West Loop in 2018. In 2022 it left Russia, where it had about 850 restaurants, after the invasion of Ukraine. At the end of 2025 the chain had 45,356 restaurants, about 95% franchised, and systemwide sales of $139.4 billion, up 7% on 2024 (Form 10-K 2025). The United States leads with 13,706 restaurants, ahead of mainland China with 7,740 and Japan with 3,025. For what the chain is putting on its menus now, see our list of new McDonald’s burgers in 2026.

Key dates

• 1940: Richard and Maurice McDonald open their restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
• 1948: the brothers switch to the Speedee Service System and a short hamburger menu.
• 1955: Ray Kroc opens his franchised restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15.
• 1961: Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million.
• 1967: first restaurant outside the US, in Richmond, Canada; the Big Mac is born in Pennsylvania.
• 1990: first restaurant in mainland China, in Shenzhen.
• 2018: headquarters move to Chicago’s West Loop.
• 2025: 45,356 restaurants and $139.4 billion in systemwide sales at year-end.