Short answers, pulled from the story.
Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant at 1398 North E Street in San Bernardino, California on the 15th of May 1940. The brothers introduced the Speedee Service System in 1948 to streamline operations by removing carhops and replacing silverware with paper wrappings.
Ray Kroc purchased the business from the brothers for $2.7 million in 1961 after joining the company as a franchise agent on the 15th of April 1955. The original San Bernardino location was demolished in 1971 and now houses part of a museum alongside a Juan Pollo chain headquarters.
McDonald's removed high-fructose corn syrup from hamburger buns during 2015 and eliminated artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets by replacing chicken skin and safflower oil with pea starch and rice starch. By September 2018, McDonald's USA stopped using artificial preservatives, flavors, and colors in seven classic burgers before introducing the McPlant plant-based burger in November 2020.
There were 41,800 locations as of 2023 operating in 120 countries and territories serving 68 million customers daily. McDonald's owns land valued at an estimated $42 billion on which many restaurants are situated.
Over 700 young workers filed lawsuits against McDonald's UK in January 2025 alleging widespread harassment and discrimination across more than 450 restaurants. The Equality and Human Rights Commission wrote to all 1,400 branches in March 2025 demanding compliance with legal duties regarding these claims.
Basketball player Michael Jordan became the first celebrity to have a value meal named after him in 1992 while rapper Travis Scott partnered with the company in September 2020 to release the Travis Scott Meal nationwide. Korean boy group BTS released the BTS Meal in 50 countries starting the 26th of May 2021 and WNBA player Angel Reese created the Angel Reese Special in January 2025.