Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s restaurant operated by his new company in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1955.
Kroc was a milkshake-mixer salesman who became interested in the McDonald brothers’ highly efficient San Bernardino restaurant. He obtained franchise rights and opened a McDonald’s location at 400 North Lee Street in Des Plaines on April 15, 1955. The restaurant became an important early showcase for the brand’s standardized service model and visual identity.
The Des Plaines building used the familiar Speedee Service System heritage and the restaurant architecture associated with McDonald’s early expansion. It was later preserved as a museum, although the original building was demolished and a replica was constructed nearby.
The date can be confused with 1948, when the McDonald brothers reorganized their original restaurant around self-service and limited menus. It can also be confused with 1955 as the year McDonald’s Corporation was incorporated.