It Started as a BBQ Restaurant
In 1940, Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first-ever McDonalds BBQ restaurant in California. Now it’s a museum. In 1948, the menu switched to burgers, steaks, potato chips, milkshakes, and pie for dessert.
Source: McDonald’s
The brothers hired a few multi-mixers for the restaurant. One multi-mixer salesman, Ray Kroc, visited the restaurant. He enjoyed the place and was impressed by their efficiency. Kroc bought the franchise rights for McDonald’s, and in 1955, he opened the first one in Illinois.