Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant built under his franchise system in 1955.
Kroc opened the Des Plaines, Illinois, restaurant on April 15, 1955. It became the ninth McDonald’s restaurant overall, but it is frequently described as the first McDonald’s founded or operated by Kroc. The site helped establish the standardized appearance and operating practices that would support the chain’s later expansion.
The distinction between 1940 and 1955 is important. The McDonald brothers opened the original restaurant in San Bernardino in 1940, while Kroc’s Des Plaines location represented the beginning of his franchise-driven expansion. The two dates refer to different milestones in the company’s development.
Kroc’s restaurant later became the McDonald’s #1 Store Museum, although the original building was demolished after flooding. Its branding significance comes from the way it linked the McDonald brothers’ operating system with a repeatable national restaurant format.