Britannica Money (2024)

McDonald’s Corporation (McDonald’s) is one of the world’s largest and most recognized fast-food chains, known for its hamburgers, french fries, and name-brand sandwiches such as the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and Egg McMuffin, as well as the child-focused Happy Meal.

Based in Chicago, it is one of the most successful brands in marketing history. From its modest beginnings in the 1940s as a drive-in restaurant, McDonald’s has undergone several transformative eras marked by pioneering innovations, milestones, and periods of controversy.

Business structure and charitable work

Although McDonald’s is an iconic fast food chain, it is also a real estate company. The company owns—or has a long-term lease on—the land and building for each franchised location. Each franchisee pays for equipment, signs, seating, and decor. McDonald’s Corporation’s revenue is made up of rent, royalties, and fees paid by franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. It is also one of the world’s largest private employers, with more than 150,000 company employees and 2,000,000 workers at franchised locations.

The first Ronald McDonald House, which housed families near hospitals where their children were receiving cancer treatment, was opened In 1974. By the early 21st century, more than 360 such houses existed around the world. Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) was established in 1987. In 2022, McDonald’s customers and franchisees donated over $182 million to RMHC, which provided 2.2 million overnight stays around the world. McDonald’s Corporation itself donated $20 million to RMHC in 2022, part of a $100 million pledge.

The company also donates millions of dollars to international relief efforts and local nonprofit organizations each year, and provides hundreds of thousands of dollars in community grants and scholarships. In 2022, more than $20 million was awarded in tuition assistance through the Archways to Opportunity program.

1940–1948: The birth of fast-food pioneers

The first McDonald’s drive-in was opened in 1940 by brothers Maurice (“Mac”) and Richard McDonald in San Bernardino, California. In 1948 the brothers revamped the business, and a newly envisioned McDonald’s restaurant was created to produce huge quantities of food at low prices.

The brothers developed a simple, efficient format that they named the Speedee Service System, including a self-service counter that eliminated the need for waiters and waitresses. By 1949, the menu was condensed to include 15-cent hamburgers, shakes, and fries. Customers received their food quickly because hamburgers were cooked ahead of time, wrapped, and warmed under heat lamps.

McDonald’s was a huge success, and the brothers began a franchise program of 10 restaurants plus their original San Bernardino location.

1954–1961: The Ray Kroc revolution

In 1954, Ray Kroc, a distributor for a special milkshake mixing machine, was intrigued by the McDonald brothers’ need for eight mixers. Realizing there was great promise in their restaurant concept, Kroc became a franchise agent for the brothers. In April 1955, Kroc launched McDonald’s Systems, Inc., later known as McDonald’s Corporation, in Des Plaines, Illinois, where he also opened the first McDonald’s franchise east of the Mississippi River. In 1961 Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers.

1961–1975: Standardization and expansion

Realizing that franchisees were vital to the company’s success, Kroc developed exacting standards for how each McDonald’s should be run, from food preparation to cleaning. To ensure the standardized operation of the outlets, he created a program in 1961, later known as Hamburger University, to train franchisees. In addition, he eventually changed the format of the restaurants, adding counter staff to take orders.

During this time McDonald’s also introduced features that would define its brand and further public recognition:

• In 1963, the public face of the company was introduced, a clown named Ronald McDonald; however, criticism over marketing to children and the growing negative perception of clowns resulted in the company largely sidelining the character in the early 21st century.
• In 1968, McDonald’s added the Big Mac to its national menu; the iconic hamburger went on to reportedly become the company’s top-selling item after french fries.
• During the 1960s the chain refined its logo, eventually debuting the famous double-arch M design, which became its enduring symbol and one of the most famous logos in the world; it was inspired by the tall yellow arches that had dominated earlier McDonald’s restaurant rooftops.
• In 1975 a McDonald’s in Arizona opened the chain’s first drive-through window, a feature that soon became ubiquitous.

These changes helped spur McDonald’s growth. In less than 10 years after Kroc became the sole owner of McDonald’s, the number of the chain’s outlets topped 1,000. Boosted by these numbers, the company’s stock began trading publicly in 1965.

1980s–1990s: Global dominance and diverse menu

The chain continued to expand domestically and internationally. In 1967 a franchise opened in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, McDonald’s first location outside the United States. By the early 21st century, there were some 34,000 outlets operating in more than 115 countries and territories. Growth was so swift in the 1990s that it was said a new McDonald’s opened somewhere in the world every five hours. It effectively became the most popular family restaurant by emphasizing affordable food, fun, and flavors that appealed to children and adults alike.

Over the years McDonald’s also expanded its menu. In addition, restaurants in foreign countries also adapted their menus to appeal to local customs and tastes.

• Filet-O-Fish sandwiches (1965)
• Quarter Pounders (1973)
• Egg McMuffins (1975)
• Full breakfast menu (1977)
• Happy Meals (1979)
• Chicken McNuggets (1983)

In the late 20th century, McDonald’s moved beyond the hamburger business by acquiring Chipotle Mexican Grill (1998), Donatos Pizza (1999), and Boston Market (2000) in the United States, and in the United Kingdom McDonald’s purchased Aroma Cafe (1999) and an interest in Pret a Manger (2001), a sandwich restaurant chain. However, by late 2008 McDonald’s no longer owned or had a stake in any of those companies, instead concentrating on its own brand.

2000s: Facing challenges and criticisms

The success of McDonald’s brought increased criticism, much of which concerned its perceived association with a global increase in obesity. In the early 2000s various lawsuits were filed against the company in the United States, alleging that its food caused health problems. Although none of the plaintiffs prevailed, a number of states passed bills banning obesity lawsuits against fast-food companies. McDonald’s also experienced a backlash following the popular documentary Super Size Me (2004), in which the filmmaker saw his health drastically decline while on a diet of only McDonald’s foods.

McDonald’s responded to the criticism by adding healthy items to its menu, and it began developing a vegan “hamburger,” variations of which would appear under such names as McVegan, P.L.T., and McPlant. In addition, in 2018 McDonald’s announced that it had stopped using preservatives in most of its hamburgers. During this time the company also eliminated supersize portions, and its U.S. and Canadian restaurants stopped using trans fat in a number of items. Such measures, however, did little to stem health concerns.

As one of the world’s largest private employers, McDonald’s faced numerous calls to increase wages. The term McJob was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary to mean “low-paying job.” The company was criticized for its negative impact on the environment, especially its contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. In the early 21st century, McDonald’s launched initiatives to reduce emissions at its restaurants and in its suppliers’ production of beef. In addition, the company’s packaging was a source of concern, and during this time McDonald’s launched a program to move toward renewable or recycled bags, utensils, and other items.

Amid the controversy, however, McDonald’s Corporation continues to grow internationally and domestically, continuing the core strengths established by Ray Kroc: delivering fast food at value prices and in a friendly atmosphere, with aggressive marketing of its restaurants. Its 2020s strategy calls this “Committing to the Core,” with a focus on what it calls the 4 Ds: Digital, delivery, drive-through, and (restaurant) development.