"In stark contrast to the much larger McDonald's menu of today, there were only nine items back then - no combo meals or anything, just à la carte options. The only food was a hamburger, cheeseburger, and fries, while for drinks you could get a Coke, root beer, "orangeade," coffee, milkshake, or just plain milk. The most expensive item on the menu was the milkshake, at 20 cents, while all the other drinks cost 10 cents, as did the fries."
"The original McDonald's hamburger and cheeseburger are basically the same size as the basic hamburger and cheeseburger on the menu today, but there was nothing larger available back then. No Big Mac, no Quarter Pounder - 3.7 ounces of beef and bun combined was all you got for your 15 cents. The only fry size was 2.4 ounces, which is slightly smaller than the smallest size you can buy today."
Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955 after partnering with the McDonald brothers who began the original hamburger stand in 1948. The 1955 menu offered only nine à la carte items: hamburger, cheeseburger, fries, and drinks including Coke, root beer, orangeade, coffee, milkshake, and milk. Prices ranged from 10 to 20 cents, with a hamburger at 15 cents and a cheeseburger at 19 cents, totaling $1.14 for the entire menu. Portion sizes were smaller: burgers were 3.7 ounces, fries 2.4 ounces, and sodas 7 ounces, compared with larger modern sizes. The business expanded rapidly to over 44,000 locations.
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