16 April 2008

How about this for a pretty useless fact!

Did you know that today is the birthday of McDonald's - the world's largest food [some might argue that] chain, serving 54 million customers every day?

The first McDonald's restaurant was opened by Dick and Mac McDonald on the corner of 14th and E Streets in San Bernardino, California in 1940, but the first franchised McDonald's hamburger site was opened by Roy Kroc in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955.

Ray Kroc mortgaged his home and invested his entire life savings to become the exclusive distributor of a five-spindled milk shake maker called the Multimixer.

Hearing about the McDonald's hamburger stand in California running eight Multimixers at a time, he packed up his car and headed West.

It was 1954. He was 52 years old.

Ray Kroc had never seen so many people served so quickly when he pulled up to take a look.

Seizing the day, he pitched the idea of opening up several restaurants to the brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, convinced that he could sell eight of his Multimixers to each and every one.

"Who could we get to open them for us?" Dick McDonald said.

"Well," Kroc answered, "what about me?

Ray Kroc opened the Des Plaines restaurant in 1955.

First day's revenues-$366.12!

No longer a functioning restaurant, the Des Plaines building is now a museum containing McDonald's memorabilia and artifacts, including the Multimixer.

Amazing - go "Maccas"!