"It is pretty well known that the first McDonald's was opened in Southern California, but if you look at what McDonald's would grow to symbolize, there is a strong argument to be made it was not really born until it opened near Chicago in 1955. The original McDonald's wasn't even a hamburger stand; it was a barbecue restaurant opened by the McDonald brothers in San Bernardino, California."
"The brothers experimented with new, highly efficient forms of production and service that would become one of the backbones of the McDonald's experience, but the true turning point came when Ray Kroc dropped by in 1954. The story of how Kroc took over McDonald's is dramatic enough that it got a whole movie, "The Founder" starring Michael Keaton, but he was the one who turned McDonald's into the icon it is today."
McDonald's originated as a San Bernardino barbecue restaurant run by the McDonald brothers and converted eight years later into a quick-service burger operation. The brothers developed highly efficient production and service techniques that formed the backbone of the business model. Ray Kroc, then a milkshake-machine salesman, recognized the concept's potential in 1954 and became an early franchisee. Kroc founded McDonald's System, Inc. and opened his Des Plaines, Illinois restaurant in 1955, which became the template for rapid expansion and is still referred to as the "first McDonald's." Many defining elements of the corporation originated around Chicago.
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