McDonald's
The story of McDonald's is quite interesting.
The McDonald Brothers (Founders): Richard and Maurice McDonald originally opened McDonald's Bar-B-Q in 1940 in San Bernardino, California. It was a typical drive-in restaurant of the time. But in 1948, they revamped the restaurant into a fast-food model, eliminating carhops and streamlining their menu to focus on just a few items: burgers, fries, and shakes.
They introduced the "Speedee Service System", which worked like an assembly line, allowing them to serve food much faster than traditional restaurants. This system became the foundation of modern fast food.
Ray Kroc (The Man Who Built McDonald's Empire): In 1954, Ray Kroc, a traveling milkshake machine salesman, discovered the McDonald brothers' restaurant when they ordered several of his Multimixer machines. He was impressed by their efficiency and saw a huge business opportunity.
Kroc convinced the brothers to let him franchise McDonald's under their name. By 1955, he opened the first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois. Over time, he expanded aggressively, eventually buying out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million in 1961.
McDonald's Today: After Kroc took over, he turned McDonald's into a global fast-food empire with:
The Golden Arches logo
The Ronald McDonald mascot
A focus on franchising
Strict consistency in food quality and service
Today, McDonald's is one of the largest and most successful fast-food chains in the world, serving millions of customers in over 100 countries.
So, while the McDonald brothers started it, it was Ray Kroc who made it what it is today!