In which Canadian city did McDonald’s open its first restaurant outside the United States in 1967?

McDonald’s opened its first restaurant outside the United States in Richmond, British Columbia, in 1967.

The restaurant marked McDonald’s first international expansion. Richmond is part of Metro Vancouver, making western Canada a practical starting point for the company’s move beyond the American market.

McDonald’s had already developed a large domestic franchise system by this point, but international growth required adapting operations to new countries while preserving its familiar menu and service model. Canada became the company’s first foreign market and later one of its largest outside the United States.

A common mix-up is naming Vancouver as the location. Richmond is a separate municipality directly south of Vancouver, and the historic restaurant was located there. The Canadian launch also predates McDonald’s expansion into many other major international markets.