McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) is one of the world's largest chains of fast-food
restaurants, selling primarily hamburgers, chicken, french fries and carbonated drinks and
more recently salads, fruit and carrot sticks.
The business was founded in 1940 with a restaurant opened by siblings Dick and Mac
McDonald. It was their introduction of the "Speedee Service System" in 1948 that
established the principles of the fast-food restaurant. However, the company today dates
its "founding" to the opening of CEO Ray Kroc's first franchised restaurant, the
company's ninth, in 1955. He opened his first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois in April
1955.
Facts and Figures
• The first Hamburger University, a school for future executive managers of
regional franchises, is in Oak Brook, Illinois, where the company headquarters is located.
Similar "Hamburger U" training schools have been set up around the world.
• The first McCafe store in the world was opened in Melbourne in 1993.
• Current members of the board of directors of McDonald's are: Hall Adams,
Edward Brennan, Robert Eckert, Enrique Hernandez, Jeff Hunter, Richard Lewis,
Andrew McKenna, and Cary McMillan.
• Only 2 McDonald's Restaurants in Australia so far have a double lane drive thru.
One is McDonald's North Mackay, in North Queensland and one soon to be completed in
North Sydney, New South Wales. Mackay North has also got the longest Drive-thru in
Australia fitting a total of 22 cars from start to finish.
• McDonald's is well known for its sponsorship in American sports. It is the official
fast food of the U.S. Olympic Team, and has former NBA superstar Michael Jordan as a
spokesperson. McDonald's is also famous for its longtime sponsorship of Bill Elliott's
NASCAR team. Kasey Kahne now carries the Golden arches on his #9 car. Additionally,
McDonald's sponsors Sebastien Bourdais' #1 car in CART Champ Car competition.
• In the 1980s, the New York Mets had a player in its farm system named Ronald
McDonald. He would have been an interesting addition to a squad that already featured a
player named Howard Johnson (as in Howard Johnson's restaurants). However,
McDonald never made it to the major leagues.
• Ronaldo's son with Milene Domingues is called Ronald in honor of the famous
clown.
• In 1986, Guantánamo became host to Cuba's first and only McDonald's restaurant,
as well as a Subway.[2] These fast food restaurants are on base, and not accessible to
Cubans. It has been reported that detainees showing good behavior have been rewarded
not only with dates, pita bread and Twinkies, but also 'Happy Meals', hamburgers or Filet-
O-Fish sandwiches from the McDonald's near the Navy Exchange.[3]
• McDonald's Australia has cooked up a world first - The New Pasta Zoo Happy
Meal. The meal includes 10 Pasta pieces with Zoo Goo (Cheese), Italian sauce, a milk
drink with a Sipaah flavoured straw. The meal also includes ripper grippers (a very
simple version of chop sticks) and one of three paper masks, either an elephant, turtle or
lion. It was expected to be released in August/September 2006, but has since been
postponed to January 2007 due to incomplete items in production.
• McDonald's Australia is also trialling a new promotion called "My Dinner
Now™" in selected restaurants within the Newcastle area in New South Wales. The menu
consists of over 30 different home style based dishes including steak, vegetables and fish.