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In 1954, future McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, a seller of Multimixer milkshake machines, came across a small restaurant in San Bernardino, California, run by the McDonald brothers.
The first McDonald’s BQ Bar menu was large and its most famous offering was sausage. However, in 1948, the McDonald brothers changed the concept to a burger restaurant and reduced the restaurant’s menu to just nine items: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, soda, milk, coffee, chips, and a piece of cake.
In 1949, potato chips were replaced with french fries, and McDonald’s began selling milkshakes.
Due to the restaurant’s self service counter, no waiters or waitresses were needed. The burgers were precooked, wrapped in paper, and kept warm under a heat lamp, meaning customers got their food in record time.
Amazed at the efficiency of the restaurant, Kroc wanted to get inside. He became the first franchisee of McDonald’s.
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At the original McDonald’s locations, before Ray Kroc revolutionized the company and founded what we now know as McDonald’s in 1955, a burger was only 15 cents priced.
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From the start, McDonald’s promoted sales of burgers in its ads. In 1955, McDonald’s claimed to have sold more than 15 million burgers—just seven years after the McDonald’s brothers closed their grilling and reopened as a burger store.
Today, McDonald’s is estimated to have served billions and billions of burgers. The Wall Street Journal estimates that the chain sold its burgers 300 billion in 2013.
McDonald’s reported that its worldwide revenue exceeded $112 billion in 2021, with sales increasing by 13.8% in the United States. That’s a lot of burgers.
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The first Big Mac-like sandwich was created by owner and operator Jim Deligati of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1967, but wasn’t released nationally until 1968. It includes two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions on a sesame bun.
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According to the Associated Press, executives and other employees laughed at the name at the time. However, it was suspended and became “one of the most popular product names of all time”.
McDonald’s Corp. was not. Finally that Rose invented the name.
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According to USA Today, in 2013 the company was selling about 75 burgers per second, or 4,500 burgers per minute.
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According to McDonald’s Nutritional Information for a hamburger, it contains 25% of your daily protein needs. While McDonald’s food in general may not be healthy for you in excess, there are some menu items that are healthier than others in moderation.
“A regular burger has only 250 calories, plus the sodium here is relatively reasonable compared to other menu items,” dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix told Taste of Home in 2019.
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The original idea for Happy Meal is said to have come from a McDonald’s employee in Guatemala named Yolanda Fernandez de Covino. Fernández de Cofiño has developed a food show for the children who visit her restaurant.
In 1979, McDonald’s introduced the first nationwide Happy Meal. The first was circus themed. Bob Bernstein, CEO of Advertising at McDonald’s, came up with the idea of ​​trading a small sundae in exchange for a plastic toy.
In 2021, McDonald’s announced that the chain would begin banning plastic toys from its Happy Meals to be more environmentally conscious.
“Making our toys from renewable, recycled or certified materials will result in a nearly 90% reduction in fossil fuel-based plastics in Happy Meal toys. [compared with 2018]The company said in a statement.