Des Plaines, IL – April 15, 1955 –A former milkshake machine salesman named Ray Kroc opened the doors to the first McDonald’s franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois, marking the birth of a global fast-food empire. The modest hamburger stand at 400 Lee Street, adorned with golden arches, introduced a revolutionary approach to dining that would transform the restaurant industry and reshape American culture.
The Vision Takes Shape
Ray Kroc, a 52-year-old entrepreneur, stumbled upon the McDonald brothers—Dick and Mac—while selling multimixers in San Bernardino, California. Their small restaurant, McDonald’s Famous Hamburgers, impressed Kroc with its streamlined “Speedee Service System,” delivering affordable, consistent food at unprecedented speed. Customers lined up for 15-cent hamburgers, 10-cent fries, and 20-cent milkshakes, served in minutes.
Sensing potential far beyond a single location, Kroc persuaded the brothers to partner with him. He envisioned a nationwide chain built on their model: quality, efficiency, and uniformity. On April 15, 1955, Kroc’s first franchise became the testing ground for that dream, operating under a licensing agreement with the McDonald brothers.
A New Era of Fast Food
The Des Plaines McDonald’s embodied Kroc’s obsession with precision. The menu was simple—hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, drinks, and milkshakes—prepared with assembly-line efficiency. Employees followed strict protocols, from grilling patties for exactly 38 seconds to serving customers in under a minute. The restaurant’s clean, family-friendly atmosphere and drive-in convenience catered to the booming postwar middle class, flush with cars and disposable income.
Opening day was a modest success, with sales reaching $366.12, but Kroc’s ambitions were boundless. He saw the franchise model as the key to scaling McDonald’s, recruiting owner-operators who would invest in and run their own locations while adhering to his rigorous standards. The Des Plaines site became a training ground, where Kroc refined operations and tested innovations like standardized equipment and portion control.
Challenges and Ambition
The road wasn’t easy. Kroc faced tensions with the McDonald brothers, who were skeptical of rapid expansion and resisted changes like adding milkshakes or altering the menu. Financially, the early franchise model yielded slim profits, as Kroc earned only a 1.9% royalty on sales, split with the brothers. Yet his persistence paid off. By reinvesting every dollar and leveraging his salesmanship, Kroc laid the foundation for explosive growth.
The Des Plaines restaurant also introduced the iconic golden arches, designed by architect Stanley Meston, which would become a global symbol of McDonald’s. Though the original arches were more functional than flashy, they hinted at the brand’s bold future.
A Cultural Milestone
The opening of the first McDonald’s franchise tapped into the 1950s zeitgeist: suburban growth, car culture, and a hunger for convenience. Families flocked to the Des Plaines location, drawn by affordable prices and a novel dining experience. Teenagers, too, made it*—*a cultural shift Kroc both anticipated and fueled, turning McDonald’s into a social hub.
Legacy of April 15, 1955
The Des Plaines McDonald’s, now a museum, stands as a testament to Ray Kroc’s vision. By 1961, Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million, and by 1965, over 700 McDonald’s restaurants dotted the U.S. Today, with over 38,000 locations in 120 countries, McDonald’s serves billions annually, its golden arches synonymous with fast food.
On April 15, 1955, Ray Kroc didn’t just open a restaurant—he sparked a global phenomenon. From Des Plaines to Delhi, McDonald’s redefined how the world eats, proving that a simple idea, executed with relentless precision, could change the course of history.
